Conquest Revamped
by Orimorium
Summary: Return to the Kingdom of Nohr as the young Prince Corrin embarks down a dark path to bring peace to his world. Villains will have motivations, plot-holes will be filled and some liberties will be taken! The story of Conquest is getting revamped!
1. Prologue, Chapter 1: Nohr

**Disclaimer: Fire Emblem Fates was developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. This is only a fan-made story so please support the official release!**

"There you are my beautiful baby boy." A black haired priestess cooed as she held a small child in her arms

 _Where am I? Who are you?_ Corrin thought, disoriented by his small form and the unfamiliar arms in which he was held. The prince tried to voice his concerns but his questions came out as a small gurgle.

"It's time to go Corrin." The Priestess said. "Your father Sumeragi is waiting and I'm sure your siblings Ryoma, Hinoka, Takumi and even baby Hinoka are excited to meet you."

 _Who are you talking about? My father is King Garon of Nohr and my siblings are Xander, Camilla, Leo and Elise! I have no idea who these people are!_

While Corrin truly believed this to be true, an unbelievable sense of familiarity washed over him as his tiny eyes gazed upon three small children: a boy with shaggy brown hair, a girl with short red hair, another boy with light brown hair and a crawling baby with salmon-colored hair. His gaze only met them for a second before the Priestess began to hand him off to an older man, dressed in white samurai armor.

"Hello my son." The samurai said warmly. Yet as he reached out to take the young Corrin into his arms, the world faded to black. When the world returned, the kind samurai was replaced by King Garon who proclaimed,"You're mine now!" with an outstretched hand.

The world faded to black once more before Corrin awoke in the familiarity of his Northern Fortress bedroom.

"Are you awake milord?" Flora asked from one side of the bed. Her sister Felicia stood on the opposite side eager to serve.

"Just barely..." Corrin replied groggily. "I just had the strangest dream..."

"Well you'd best join the world of the living sire." Jakob chimed in from across the room where he stood with Gunter. "You have a busy day ahead."

"I think we can help with that!" Felicia said happily. "Let's do it Flora!"

"Yes sister." Flora replied as she and Felicia placed their hands on the young lord's cheeks. "This is how we deal with sleepyheads in the Ice Tribe!"

Ice magic poured out of both sister's hands, snapping Corrin awake immediately.

"I'm up! I'm up!" Corrin yelled, nearly jumping out of the bed. "You said I had a busy day ahead. What do I have planned?"

"Your siblings have just arrived from the capital and will wish to spend a great deal of time with you." Jakob replied.

"That means your usual combat practice will be handled by Xander today milord." Gunter added. "You'd best be prepared for a workout."

"Thanks for the warning Gunter." The prince replied before turning to Jakob, "If you could tell my siblings to meet at the fortress entrance, I'll be down to meet them shortly."

"Yes milord." The butler replied. "We will inform your siblings right away. Felicia has placed your best suit of armor by the dresser when you are ready."

"Thank you. That will be all."

As soon as his retainers left the room Corrin ran to put his armor on, excited that his siblings had come to visit. Very little excitement occurred in the cold fortress so visits from any his of his siblings were always welcome, but this time all four had come to see him, making Corrin even more excited.

 _Maybe all this excitement is why I had that weird dream..._ Corrin thought as he put on his cape. Any remaining thoughts about his dreams were pushed aside as Corrin raced out of his room to meet his siblings. When he finally arrived at the meeting place, only Leo had arrived.

"Leo!"

"Hello Corrin! It's been quite a while." The fellow prince replied. "Have you kept up with your studies?"

"Of course! Gunter trains me in combat and tactics each day." Corrin replied with a smirk on his face.

"What has you so happy this morning?"

"Even though I don't see you all very often, its nice to know some things never change."

"What do you mean?"

"You have your cape on backwards."

"Why didn't you mention anything sooner!?" Leo replied before rushing inside past Camilla and Elise, to remedy the problem.

"Someone dressed half-sleep this morning." Camilla said, gesturing slightly toward Leo.

"Big brother!" Elise said as she nearly tackled Corrin into a hug. "Its been so long since I saw you!"

"I know. I hear you've been busy with your duties as a princess."

"I have, but they're boring!" The youngest sibling said with a pout. "I'd much rather be having fun here with you!"

"We all have duties to fulfill as part of the royal family Elise." Camilla said, "Even Corrin will have duties to fulfill when the time comes."

"I don't know if that day will ever come..." Corrin replied. "Sometimes it feels like I'll just waste away in this castle for the rest of my life."

"There, there." Camilla said as she placed her brother's head within her bosom. "Father simply wants to be sure that you're ready for the responsibilities that come with being a part of the court. I'm sure you'll be out of here before you know it."

"Definitely!" Leo cut in as he rejoined the group with his cape fixed. "I can tell you've matured quite a bit since I last saw you, unlike some people."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Elise cried defensively. "I've matured plenty!"

"What makes you think I was referring to you?" Leo replied smugly. "I could have been referring to my retainer. A guilty conscience needs no accuser."

"Camilla, Leo's making fun of me!"

"It's Ok honey. That's just how he shows he cares."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about..." Leo replied blushing.

"Sure, sure Mr. Tough Guy." Corrin chuckled, "Speaking of tough guys, where's Xander? Wasn't he supposed to come with you?"

"Oh you know how he is." Camilla said, off-handedly, "He said your reunion should be over crossed blades or something of the like."

"Xander wants you to meet him on the roof for training." Leo interpreted. "He's been very eager to see how you've grown."

"I'll grab my blade and head to the roof right away then!"

"But I wanted to play with you a bit big brother!"

"We'll play later Elise!" Corrin said as he started toward the door. "I shouldn't keep Xander waiting."

Only stopping to grab a Bronze Sword, Corrin rushed to the top of one of the castle's pillars which he and Xander used constantly for training. When the young prince finally arrived and stepped out onto the dark rooftop, Xander was nowhere to be found.

 _I thought Leo said Xander would be waiting for me here. Where could he be?_

As Corrin was lost in thought, a shadow began charging from behind him. Feeling the aggression of his enemy, Corrin turned and was able to block the assailant's attack at the last moment.

"You're becoming more aware of your surroundings." Xander said as he and his younger brother locked blades. "That bodes well for your training today."

"Well hello to you to Xander." The younger prince replied. "Do you have to jump me like that every time we start training?"

"It sharpens the mind and gets your blood pumping." Xander said, stepping back slightly so that the fight could continue. "Now show me how much you've grown!"

"With pleasure!" Corrin replied before the two brothers charged at one another.

Xander paused for a moment to allow Corrin the first blow: a powerful vertical slash aimed at the head. The attack was blocked by Xander who countered by quickly twisting his blade, placing Corrin's sword below his own, and opening the younger prince for a direct slash at his neck. Corrin dodged the attack by spinning away from the blade and used the momentum to launch his next attack: a horizontal slash at Xander's side which landed successfully leaving a small dent in the crown prince's armor.

"You may have landed the first blow, but our match is far from over!" Xander declared before the two locked blades again.

The match raged on with both sides unwilling to give a single inch. While Corrin started the match strong, his energy soon faded and Xander, with superior strength and endurance from years of training and battles, began to control the pace of the battle.

"I... won't lose!" Corrin said as he tried to catch his breath.

"Your skill and strategy with a blade are most impressive." Xander declared a short distance away. "I think you're ready to learn about Dragon Veins."

"Dragon... Veins?"

"Dragon Veins are fonts of magical energy imbued into the Earth that have the power to completely change the flow of battle."

"In what way?"

"Dragon Veins can have a variety of effects from changing the landscape, changing the weather or even healing wounded combatants." Xander explained. "However, this power can not be tapped by anyone. You must have royal blood within you if you wish to call upon the Dragon Vein's power."

"So only the royal families of Nohr and Hoshido can activate Dragon Veins?"

"Exactly. Now use your senses and examine the rooftop. You should be able to locate the Dragon Vein up here."

"Ok. I'll try." Corrin replied before closing his eyes and opening his senses up to examine the rooftop. "I think I feel something just over here." The young prince declared as he walked over to the designated spot.

"Very good." Xander said with a smile. "Now activate it! Dragon Veins hold magical power like a glass of water. Break the glass with a jolt of magical power and the power will come rushing out."

"Here goes!" Corrin declared before sending a small pulse of magic into the roof where the Dragon Vein laid. Almost immediately, a rush of power began to flow over him, re-energizing Corrin to continue the match with Xander.

"Your stamina has been restored." Xander said. "Now pick up your blade and face me once more!"

"Ok, but remember you asked for this!" Corrin replied before taking his blade and charging his older brother once more.

Any signs of his previous fatigue were completely erased by the Dragon Vein, allowing Corrin to fight to his fullest while Xander still showed signs of fatigue from their first round of combat. The battle was fierce and lasted for quite some time, eventually drawing the other Nohrian royal siblings to the rooftop to spectate. Although Xander was able to hold his own for a time, helping Corrin burn off the extra energy given to him from the Dragon Vein, the crown prince eventually tired.

"You've... done well... little prince." Xander said between deep breaths, a sheen of sweat visible on his brow.

"That's... only because... I've had such a good teacher." Corrin replied, once again exhausted and out of breath. "How did you know that Dragon Vein... would heal me?"

"The more you activate Dragon Veins, the more familiar you will become with them. Eventually you will be able to predict their effects just as I have done." Xander said. "And with that I think you are ready."

"Ready? Ready for what?"

"Oh! Oh! Can I tell him!?" Elise exclaimed excitedly.

"Go on ahead Elise." Camilla said with a knowing grin on her face.

"What? What are you guys going to tell me?"

"You're coming back to Windmere with us!" Elise nearly yelled.

"Father has called me to the capital? I'm leaving the Northern Fortress!?"

"The truth is, we didn't come to simply visit you." Leo explained. "We were sent to evaluate whether you were ready to join the court. By learning about Dragon Veins and fighting Xander to a standstill, you've proven you're ready to help us restore Nohr to its proper glory."

"Wh-When will we be leaving?" Corrin asked.

"In two days time." Xander declared. "It will give us sufficient time to catch up and for you to prepare for your move to Castle Krakenburg."

The next two days went by in a flash and before Corrin realized, it was time to leave the Northern Fortress for good.

"It saddens me deeply to see you go milord." Jakob began. "I would accompany you but I've been tasked with maintaining the castle in your absence."

"Everyone at the Northern Fortress will miss you Master Corrin." Flora added. "But you should be in good hands with Felicia and Gunter by your side."

"Don't worry about a thing sis!" Felicia said, "I'll definitely make sure to take care of anything Master Corrin needs!"

"That's what I'm worried about." Jakob mumbled before turning to Gunter, "Be sure to watch over him, all right?"

"Worry not Jakob, I may be old but I've still got more than enough fight left in me to protect the young master."

"I believe we're all set then!" Corrin declared as he saddled his horse for the long journey ahead. "Let's go to Castle Krakenburg!"

 **AN: Hello everyone and welcome to Conquest Revamped! Fates has received a lot of criticism about its poor storytelling since its release despite its amazing game-play, especially in the case of Conquest. In this retelling of Fire Emblem Fates Conquest I'm going to try and spruce up the story to what it could have, and should have been. While I will try to follow the general story line of Conquest, not everything will be exactly as in the game! Some game-play elements don't transfer well to a written format and as such will be taken out.**

 **Not much changed in this prologue but I did change the initial dream sequence and removed Lilith from the story. While the initial dream sequence in the game serves as a nice tutorial for the player entering the game, it doesn't make sense that Corrin is able to 'dream' into the future. As such, I've changed the dream to a memory of his birth in Hoshido. As for taking Lilith out of the story, that is simply because the My Castle aspect of Fates, while extremely fun and enjoyable, played little to no part in the actual plot.**

 **With introductions done and changes explained! That will be it for this chapter of Conquest Revamped! Feel free to leave a review with your thoughts but be courteous and don't leave spoilers for Birthright or Revelations. Thank you and see you next time!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Gift of Ganglari

"Are we almost there yet?" Corrin asked as he, his retainers and siblings made their way down the road to the capital, "I never knew riding on horses could be so uncomfortable."

"That's only because you're not used to it yet." Gunter said with a grin. "Your brother Lord Xander can spend entire days upon horseback. He even battles from atop his steed."

"People actually battle on horses!?" Corrin exclaimed.

"Why wouldn't they?" Leo cut in after overhearing the conversation. "Horses provide speed and mobility that simply can not be matched on foot. If we had not been riding horses, this three day journey would have been a three week journey."

"I could have gotten him here even faster on my wyvern." Camilla interjected. "It would have saved him from those terrible riding pains and would have given us quality brother-sister time."

"W-wouldn't that be dangerous?" Felicia interjected meekly, intimidated by the royals around her. "What if you got attacked?"

"That's why we're all riding together." Gunter answered. "If we do get attacked by bandits, they'll be the ones sorry."

"Well put Gunter." Xander said, "Against the might of all the Nohrian royal siblings, no bandits stands a chance."

"Everyone, look! We're here!" Elise cried excitedly, spurring her horse ahead of the others.

As Corrin and his allies looked into the crater that housed Windmere, a sense of excitement began to well up within the youngest prince.

 _I've finally returned to Windmere! Once I receive Father's blessing I'll be able to fight for the kingdom just like my siblings do._

"Come now!" Xander called to Corrin, who was now behind the others after admiring the capital. "Father undoubtedly knows we're here. We mustn't waste any time before reporting to him."

"Of course! Lead the way big brother!"

After a small stop at the stables to drop off their horses, Corrin's party went immediately to the throne room where King Garon was waiting. Everyone bent their knee at the base of the throne before Xander spoke.

"Father! We have returned from the Northern Fortress with our brother Corrin and his two retainers."

"Very good Xander." The King replied before turning to Corrin. "If you've returned to Castle Krakenburg, you must have completed Xander's training, correct?"

"Y-yes Father." Corrin replied. Speaking to his Father always made Corrin nervous. Garon had never been close to Corrin, but for as long as the young prince could remember, the King had always addressed him as though he had committed some unspeakable act which could not be forgiven. "Xander has completed my training by showing me Dragon Veins and how to activate them."

"And what of your swordplay?"

"While he is not yet an expert, he was able to hold his own against me." Xander interjected.

"Does this mean I'll be able to take my place in the royal court with you Father?" Corrin asked excitedly.

"Holding your own against Xander does bode well for your chances but there is one last test you must pass before I will be convinced you are ready." Garon replied gruffly. "Guards! Bring in the prisoners!"

At the King's command, a small band of Hoshidan soldiers were brought into the throne room in chains, weapons laying at their feet.

"Prisoners? What do they have to do with my readiness to me in the court?" Corrin asked.

"I wish to see your battle prowess firsthand before allowing you to assume the duties of a prince." Garon replied. Lifting himself up off the throne, he picked up a thick bundle of cloth which had been sitting next to the throne and handed it to Corrin.

"W-what is this?" Corrin asked as he unraveled the cloth to reveal a sword.

"This is the blade Ganglari. While not a legendary weapon like Xander's Siegfried or Leo's Brynhildr, it was forged by Castle Krakenburg's finest blacksmith and imbued with power by my one of my best generals: Iago."

"Thank you Father! This is a very generous gift!"

"Almost too generous..." Xander mumbled.

"Now, command your retainers and use the Ganglari to cut your enemies down." Garon cried. "Only if you are victorious, can you then take your place in the court."

"As you command Father." Corrin replied, brandishing his new blade in his hand. "Gunter! Felicia! Are you ready?"

"My lance arm may be a little rusty but I'm always ready to serve."

"I may not be great at housework, but battle is definitely where I shine!"

"Corrin appears to be ready. Leo! Unshackle the prisoners!"

"Of course Father."

A small burst of magic from Leo was all it took to release all six prisoners from their constraints. Each one quickly picked up a weapon but waited for the command of a young muscular woman and a handsome green-haired man.

"I am Rinkah!" The muscular woman declared. "A proud member of the Flame Tribe! Tell me your names so that I may know who's blood will be fueling my fire today!"

"I am the Nohrian Prince Corrin and these are my retainers Felicia and Gunter. We will be your combatants today."

"Prince Corrin!?" The green haired ninja mumbled with wide eyes.

"That is my name." The young prince replied. "Might I know your's?"

The ninja paused for a moment to compose himself before answering, "I am Kaze, a ninja of Hoshido and I will not fall today!"

"Neither will we!" Rinkah declared as the soldiers behind them cheered in agreement. "There are six of us and three of them use our numbers to your advantage!"

With that final thought, the band of soldiers began their charge toward Corrin and his allies.

"Let me be your shield milord." Gunter cried, stepping in front of his master. "Felicia can attack from afar to weaken them and you can finish them off."

"Got it!" Felicia said, kicking a dagger up from her shoe.

"Wait." The prince said quickly. "There's a Dragon Vein here."

"Do have any idea what it might do milord?" Gunter asked.

"No!" Corrin replied, stepping over to the Vein "But we don't have time to guess!"

With a burst of power, Corrin activated the Dragon Vein, reveling a fort in the middle of the throne room. From his throne, Garon nodded with approval, confirming this was the strategy he would have used.

"With this we can limit their attacks to two fronts." Corrin said, leading his allies into the fort. "Gunter can guard the west entrance while I block the east. If we face them one at a time, we can do this."

"Not only are maids proficient in daggers, but we can also use staves as well." Felicia said, as the three entered their formation. "I'll weaken our enemies and heal our wounds!"

"Thank you Felicia! Here they come!"

Taken aback at the sudden materialization of the fort, the Hoshidans split equally into two units with one led by Rinkah approaching from the west and a force led by Kaze in the east. While the two units attacked the fort simultaneously, the combination of the fort and the defensive formation held firm.

The first enemy Corrin encountered was a samurai who was killed without landing a single blow on the young royal. After being weakened by Felicia's dagger, it took only a single swing of the sword to finish him off. The samurai was followed almost immediately afterwords by a ninja, who proved much harder to dispatch. The ninja used his superior speed to continually dodge Ganglari while Kaze threw Shurikens from afar.

"Heal!" Felicia yelled activating her staff. "You can do this Master!"

 _All I need to do is remember my training._ Corrin thought, narrowly dodging another of Kaze's shurikens. _Just do as Xander taught you. Steady the hand, ready the blade and strike!_

The next strike hit home, knocking the ninja off balance and creating an opening for Felicia to deliver the finishing blow.

Kaze threw a couple more shurikens before calling to his comrade, "Rinkah! They are too strong! We need to pull back and regroup!"

"On it!" The Oni Savage replied.

On the western front, Rinkah's forces had not fared as well as Kaze's. The first of her soldiers trying to enter the fort had impaled himself on Gunter's lance and the second was killed by the Great Knight soon after. Rinkah had at least forced the Knight on the defensive, but none of her attacks were penetrating his armor.

As the final Hoshidan units pulled back, Corrin and his retainers were on their heels to quickly restart the battle and push the advantage.

"I'll take Rinkah!" Corrin called. "You guys can handle Kaze!"

"You think you can handle me!?" Rinkah yelled, bringing her club crashing down in a vertical swing that left cracks in the throne room floor. "I'm finally fired up!"

Corrin brought the Ganglari down to try and pin Rinkah's club to the floor but was knocked back by her surprising strength as the club was swung at his head.

 _She's strong. Probably riding an adrenaline high._ Corrin reasoned as he was knocked backwards by yet another strike from Rinkah. _But that means she'll be sloppy. I just have to hold out for an opening._

After holding out for a solid two minutes, the opening finally presented itself. Trying to put more power behind her next swing, Rinkah, brought her club back too far, creating an opening for Corrin to attack. A swift diagonal cut from the Ganglari knocked Rinkah to ground and the club out of her hand.

Rinkah was soon followed by Kaze who had similarly been disarmed by the combination of Gunter and Felicia. The two lay defeated on the throne room floor. While they were riddled with small cuts and large bruises, they were both alive.

"You have done well my son." Garon said from the throne. "Now, kill them both!"

"B-But Father, they are beaten and defenseless!" Corrin replied. "Killing them now would be dishonorable!"

"This is no different from the others you killed mere moments ago. Kill the Hoshidans now or I will have you killed in their place!"

"The other soldiers were armed and trying to kill me. It was kill or be killed!" Corrin explained. "What harm would it do to try and show mercy?"

"So you insist on disobeying me!?" Garon exclaimed. "Xander! Kill Corrin and then kill the Hoshidans!"

"No!" Elise cried.

"Please Father, Corrin does yet understand our situation." Xander said. "He simply requires more time-"

"He has had his entire life to understand our situation!" Garon yelled. "Kill them now Xander! Or are you defying me too?"

"N-No Father." With a heavy heart, Xander drew his blade, Siegfried, and began to half-heartedly attack his brother.

Tired after his battle with Rinkah and Kaze, Corrin struggled to defend against his brother.

"Master!" Felicia cried, pulling out her staff.

"No! Don't interfere!" Corrin ordered before the maid could cast healing magic. "If you do, Father will see you as a traitor too!"

"A wise decision little prince." Xander said with a smile.

Putting a little more power behind his next swing, Xander landed a hit on the side of Corrins's armor which knocked the younger prince to the ground.

"I will give you one final chance!" Garon declared. "Kill the prisoners or be killed yourself!"

"I won't!" Corrin yelled defiantly.

"Then you shall die. Xander!"

The Crown Prince drew his blade back to deliver the final blow but before he could strike, a flash of light enveloped the prisoners, killing them.

"Must I do everything myself?" Leo said nonchalantly, revealing himself to be the magic caster. "I have dispatched these prisoners on the behalf of our soft-hearted brother. If you would spare his life, I'm sure Corrin could still be useful to our cause."

Garon thought for a moment before replying, "Fine. His life will be spared but Corrin will not take his place in the royal court. This transgression will not soon be forgotten." And walked out of the room.

"I'm sorry little prince." Xander apologized, offering his hand to help Corrin off the floor. "I can't disobey a direct order from Father."

"Its Ok Xander, I understand." Corrin said before angrily turning to Leo. "But how could you Leo!? They were defenseless!"

"Calm down." Leo replied. "The only way to save your life was to make it _appear_ as though the prisoners had been killed and pleading your worth to Father."

"Appear to be dead..." The young prince mumbled before realizing. "You didn't kill them either!"

"Keep your voice down darling." Camilla said. "If Father finds those Hoshidans still alive his punishment will be even worse than it is already sure to be."

"Of course. But if you didn't kill them, where are the prisoners?"

"Shackled and chained in an old shed behind the castle. You can deal with them as you please now, I don't really care."

"Thank you Leo!" Corrin said before rushing off to the shed with Xander in tow. The two rushed to the shed where they found Rinkah and Kaze shackled as Leo had said.

"What do you intend to do with us?" Rinkah asked accussingly. "We're supposed to be dead. Are you going to experiment on us or make us your slaves?"

"No. I intend to let you go."

"Why?" Kaze asked as he and Rinkah's shackles were undone. "Why would you just let us go to likely take up arms against your kingdom once again?"

"Isn't that the right thing to do?"

"There's no doubt it's Him..." The ninja mumbled before darting off like a man on a mission.

"I won't hold back next time!" Rinkah declared, "We're still enemies you know!"

"I know, but do we have to be?"

The Oni Savage growled at the naïveté of the young prince before running off to her freedom.

"You know, an act of kindness will likely kill you one of these days little prince." Xander commented, proud of his brother for doing the honorable thing

"That's why I'm glad to have all of my siblings beside me. I know you'll always have my back even when acts of kindness come back to bite me."

"We will always be there for you little brother. But I don't believe we can protect you from Father's punishment. He still seemed very angry when he left."

"I know..." Corrin replied with dread. "But whatever the punishment may be, I'll handle it!"

"I know you will." Xander replied as the two began walking back to the castle. "I know you will."

 **AN: Chapter 2 complete! Not a lot changed here compared to the original, just a couple minor details which will play a part in the chapters to come. I hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Journey Begins

"It'll be Ok Corrin. Just relax." The Nohrian Prince mumbled to himself as he paced in front of the throne room. "Father's punishment can't be nearly as bad as the others said..."

It had been a day since Corrin had refused to kill Rinkah and Kaze and Garon had still not issued a punishment to his youngest son for the insubordination.

"Big Brother! What are you doing in front of the throne room?" Elise asked as she walked by.

"I'm here to see what my punishment will be from yesterday."

"Father will summon you when he's ready. Until then, let's play!"

"I'm sorry Elise, but I'm much too worried to play with you. I need to know my punishment."

"Then I'll help!" Elise declared, before stepping up to the throne room door. She knocked on it and said, "Father! Corrin and I have something we would like to discuss with you!"

"Elise! What are you doing!? I'm not ready yet!" Corrin whispered.

A minute passed and no answer came from King Garon.

"He is in there right?" Elise asked.

"Of course! I looked all over the castle, trying to look for a way to talk to him before he went to the throne room." Corrin admitted. "I thought it would be less stressful but he went in there first thing this morning and hasn't come out since."

"S-Should we peek inside?"

"I haven't seen anyone else enter besides Father so we wouldn't be interrupting anything.." Corrin reasoned before going to the door. "A little peek wouldn't hurt."

Opening the throne room door, Corrin found King Garon in the center of the room on bent knee mumbling to himself.

"Father?" Corrin called confused to see his father in such a state.

"Who goes there!?" Garon yelled, snapping out of his trance. After seeing Corrin and Elise, he added, "Who gave you permission to enter the throne room?"

"No one Father..." Elise answered meekly. "But we knocked and didn't receive an answer. We wanted to make sure you were all right."

"What were you doing Father?" Corrin asked.

"I was praying to the great God Anankos." Garon replied as he stood up and walked back to his throne. "I always seek his guidance when I am faced with a difficult decision. Now what is your business with me?"

"Father I wish to apologize about yesterday." Corrin said, "I realize now I should not have disobeyed your orders. It will not happen again. I ready to face any punishment you have for me."

"It pleases me to hear that." Garon replied. "As your punishment for disobeying me, I am sending you on a mission."

"Where to?" Corrin replied eagerly.

"There is an abandoned fort on the border of Hoshido and Nohr. I have received conflicting reports on its condition. Some say the fort remains abandoned while others state that Hoshidans have reoccupied the fort." Garon explained. "You will travel to the Bottomless Canyon and uncover the truth."

"Of course Father! When will I leave?"

"As soon as you are able. Say your good-byes to your siblings and gather your retainers. This is a pressing matter you have been tasked with. Do not disappoint me."

"I will do you proud!" Corrin replied confidently before he and Elise turned and left the room.

"See, that wasn't so bad!" Elise said cheerfully.

"You're right. Thank you Elise." The prince replied, patting his sister's head.

Returning the affection, Elise jumped on her brother and hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad I was able to help you Big Brother! Just complete Father's mission and you'll be on the court in no time!"

"I certainly hope so. Now let's go tell the others, I know they'll want to know how I made out."

After some searching, Corrin and Elise we able to find their siblings gathered in the castle's main hall and explained to them Garon's mission.

"That seems unusually lenient of Father." Xander said, "He normally has very little tolerance for insubordination."

"The punishment makes sense to me." Leo chimed in. "Since the fort may be filled with Hoshidans, this will test Corrin's abilities yet again and if not, Father still receives valuable information about the state of our border with Hoshido."

"When do you leave darling?" Camilla asked.

"I just have to get Gunter and Felicia and then I'll be off."

"Then I'll start getting my wyvern ready." The purple haired princess replied, "I can't let you face nasty Hoshidans without your big sister around."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible."

From the opposite end of the hall, a dark haired sorcerer stepped into view, half of his face covered in armor.

"What are you talking about Iago?" Xander asked, addressing the sorcerer. "All of us intend to help Corrin on his mission."

"Yeah!" Elise added with a huff. "Why can't we?"

"King Garon intends this mission to be a test of sorts." Iago replied with a grin. "Interference from any one of you would muddy the results."

"While I can understand Father's reasoning, Corrin is still naive to the ways of the world." Leo said, "If he does face Hoshidans at that fort, he may not be able to handle that kind of battle."

"Don't worry Leo. I'll be fine." Corrin said. "Besides, I'll have Gunter and Felicia to watch my back."

"That will not be all." Garon said, stepping into the room. Behind him stood a menacing Berserker who glared intently at Corrin. "This is Hans. A highly capable soldier in my employ. Should you become soft-hearted during your mission, he will ensure my will is done."

"Thank you Father. That is very generous!" The youngest prince replied.

Leaning in, Xander whispered, "I'd be wary of Hans if I were you. He was a murderer and a thief until I arrested him a few years back. Father believes he is rehabilitated but I'm not convinced. That said, he is a capable soldier."

"Thanks for the warning." Corrin whispered back.

"Come on now. We don't have time to waste!" Hans said, forcefully grabbing Corrin away from his siblings. "Get your retainers and let's get going. I'm eager to spill some Hoshidan blood."

The Nohrian Prince quickly waved good-bye to his siblings before finding Gunter and Felicia and heading off to battle.

It was a long and awkward three weeks to the border. While Corrin made every effort to be hospitable toward Hans, the Berserker simply shrugged him off or scowled with each attempt. The only thing Corrin and Hans could seem to agree on was that the mission had to be completed successfully.

"So this is the Bottomless Canyon!" Corrin said with amazement as lightning crackled overhead. "This place is amazing!"

"I'm not quite sure we all share your sentiments milord." Gunter replied from atop his horse. "This place unnerves me. They say that whoever falls into the Bottomless Canyon never returns and instead live the rest of their days in eternal torment."

"And the lightning is really scary..." Felicia added to accentuation Gunter's point.

"That just makes it more exciting! Compared to the Northern Fortress this place is simply brimming with excitement."

"I never thought of it that way..." Gunter replied. "You may have a point there milord."

"Quit your yappin' you three!" Hans interrupted. "We're almost there!"

As the four Nohrians crossed the bridge over the Bottomless Canyon, the Hosidian base cam into view and was bustling with activity.

"Nohrians!" A samurai yelled, brandishing his katana. "Turn back now or you will be in violation of the peace agreement between our two kingdoms!"

"I'm sorry." Corrin said, slowly backing away. "We'll turn back imm-"

"Show us what you got!" Hans yelled as he rushed the Hoshidian. Catching the young soldier off guard, a killing blow was landed in two swings of his Iron Axe.

"Hans! What are you doing!?" Corrin exclaimed. "Father only wanted information on the base. We didn't have to kill anyone!"

"Garon wouldn't ask for information about a base if he didn't want it for himself!" Hans replied charging headlong toward a Hoshidan stronghold.

"It appears we don't have a choice now milord." Gunter said. "We'll have to fight as well."

"B-But charging into their stronghold is suicide." Felicia chimed in.

"That's why we'll have to make use of a defensive stance during this battle."

"What's defensive stance?" Corrin asked.

"In battle, units can either fight on their own and provide assistance to others when necessary-"

"Like we've been doing?" Corrin interrupted.

"Correct." Gunter replied. "That is offensive stance. Defensive stance is when two units travel the battlefield together and focus solely on protecting one another."

"Ok. I think I've got it. Now how should we attack this base Gunter?" Corrin asked. "Felicia is right about Hans' route being filled with too many enemies."

"We should try to find another way across. Perhaps there is a Dragon Vein in the area."

"Good thinking." The young prince replied. "Gunter, pair up with me. Felicia will follow from behind to provide healing when necessary."

"Right!" Both the Maid and the Great Knight replied before the three of them went off into battle.

While Hans had gone due east toward the base, Corrin and his forces traveled south to try and find another way to attack the base, but were left with a dead end.

"It appears there isn't another way across milord..." Gunter said. "We should retreat and regroup with Hans-"

"No there is a way across!" Corrin exclaimed and activated a Dragon Vein.

In a flash of magical power, a stone bridge formed across the canyon, just large enough for Corrin, Gunter and Felicia to cross.

"Good work milord." Gunter exclaimed.

"Don't look now but we've got trouble!" Felicia yelled, pointing at Hoshidian Sky Knights closing in on them from the south.

"They must have called reinforcements." Corrin reasoned. "Disrupt their flight path with your dagger Felicia! Once they get close, Gunter and I will take them out."

Throwing a dagger, Felicia was able to disrupt the flight path of the Sky Knights as Corrin and Gunter rushed in to deliver the finishing blow. Taking the lead, Corrin rushed forward with the Ganglari in hand and slashed at one of the Hoshidans who dodged and counterattacked with a lance. The counterattack landed successfully and knocked the young prince backwards. Luckily Gunter was able to step forward and protect the young lord from further attacks.

"Be careful milord!" Gunter said as Hoshidan naginatas bounced off his shield. "Remember the weapon triangle. Your sword is weak against lances and daggers but strong against bows and axes."

"Right." Corrin affirmed as he returned to his feet. "Gunter, let's separate here. Protect Felicia while we deal with these enemies."

"Thank you Master!" Felicia said, before falling in behind Gunter.

Utilizing their superior mobility and weapon advantage over Corrin, the trio of Sky Knights focused their attacks on the young prince who was only able to land an occasional hit on each of them.

 _I don't know how much longer I can hold out_. Corrin thought as he parried yet another blow from one of the Sky Knights _._ Out of the original three that had attacked, Gunter had managed to defeat one while the other two continued to fight, despite their obvious fatigue. Hoping to end the battle, the final two Sky Knights entered formation and began to charge, leaving Corrin with no place to dodge.

 _I can't dodge and I won't be able to parry in time! What am I going to do!?_

As a flurry of desperate tactics began to fly through Corrin's head, he heard a cry from his right.

"Stay away from my Master!"

Dagger in hand, Felicia charged headfirst into action, digging her dagger into one of the pegasi, killing the mount and sending its rider crashing to the ground.

Caught off guard by the death of her comrade, the second Sky Knight hesitated in her attack, leaving an opening just large enough for Corrin to deliver a fatal blow.

"Thanks... Felicia." The Prince said as he tried to catch his breath.

"Just doing my job! Heh heh." Felicia replied, happy to be useful. "Let's finish this shall we? Heal!"

As the restorative magic washed over him, Corrin brandished his sword and replied confidently. "Yes we shall. Onward!"

Ignoring the small outpost to the north the small squad of Nohrians charged toward the main base slightly to the south. Evidently, the bulk of the Hoshidan forces were stationed in the north and preoccupied with Hans, leaving only a single archer and a ninja guarding the main outpost.

"Commander Omozu, Nohrians are approaching!" The Archer yelled as he fired arrows fervently toward the fast approaching enemy.

"Reinforcements are already on their way." Omozu replied, taking out his shuriken. "We only need to hold our position and victory can still be ours."

Under the cover of Gunter's shield, Corrin and his retainers rushed toward Omozu, hoping to end the battle quickly. Once they were in close, Corrin rushed toward the Archer and, taking advantage of his weapon advantage, easily cut him down. The only foe left standing in the way of victory was Omozu himself. Unfortunately, the ninja proved to be a wily foe, dodging attacks and countering with strikes from his shuriken.

"Surrender now Hoshidan and your life will be spared." Corrin yelled as attacked and missed the ninja once again.

"Why should I trust the words of a filthy Nohrian?" Omozu asked as a shuriken landed at Corrin's feet. "Your kind aren't exactly known for showing mercy. I'd sooner die than surrender."

"If that is how it must be, we'll be happy to fulfill your wish!" Gunter yelled as he charged in with his lance. While the Hoshidan commander was able to dodge the Great Knight's attack, he was forced into the attacking range of Felicia. The maid and ninja locked weapons as Corrin charged in to make a strike of his own.

 _They're hoping to wear me down with relentless attacks._ Omozu realized. _I can't let that happen. I need to make sure they don't encircle me._

Disengaging with Felicia, Omozu ducked low under a horizontal slash from Corrin and countered with a couple shuriken strikes of his own before jumping backwards. Taking the initiative, Gunter charged toward where he predicted the ninja would land and prepared to attack.

Expecting another piercing attack from Gunter, Omozu began dodging right as soon as he hit the ground, only to be met with Gunter's pole-arm as he swung the lance. Omozu fell to the ground, barely able to move as Corrin, Felicia and Gunter surrounded him.

"It's over." Corrin said standing over the beaten ninja. "This fort now belongs to Nohr."

"Hoshido... will never stand for this." Omozu said weakly. "You've just started a war... and soon you will be it's first victims..."

"Wh-"

Corrin was interrupted as a battalion of Hoshidan soldiers burst out of the woods, weapons draw and ready to strike. Overwhelmed at the sheer number of foes before him, the young Nohrian prince froze. _There are too many to defeat! What do I do?_

Just as the first attacks were about to strike, lightning crackled to life and vaporized the Hoshidan front line.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on my Darling!"

Flying high above the battlefield, the magic caster was revealed to be none other than Camilla who, with an angry sneer on her face, drew her axe and descended to the battlefield. Enemy upon enemy soon began to fall at the hands of Camilla's protective rage.

Shocked at his sister's destructive power, Corrin mumbled, "Wh-Who is this person?"

"Brother!"

A call from behind was just enough to snap Corrin out of his stupor. Xander, Elise and Leo rode over and began to watch Camilla tear into the Hoshidan battle force. As Corrin looked over the faces of his siblings, none of them showed a hint of shock at Camilla's destruction, not even the kind-hearted Elise.

"You've survived your first mission. Well done!" Xander commented.

"Things seem to have gotten a little messy but I guess you did a passable job." Leo added.

"I'm just glad you're safe." Elise said with a smile.

"Wh-What's happening? How are you all here?"

"We were watching your battle from afar." Xander replied. "Even if this was a test, none of us would forgive ourselves if something happened to you. When Camilla saw you were about to be attacked, she jumped into action."

"That's really Camilla?"

"I guess you've never seen her on the battlefield before..." Leo said. "Despite how much she dotes on you, Camilla is a fearsome warrior. You would do well to learn a bit from her."

"How can I learn from that? She's basically slaughtering them!"

"It was them or you, Brother." Leo explained, "Camilla did what she had to to protect you."

"But she didn't even ask for them to surrender!" Corrin countered before pointing out at the battlefield once again, where Camilla was picking off the final few soldiers with ease. "Heck, she looks like she's enjoying it!"

"That's because those nasty Hoshidans deserved it!" Elise said, shocking Corrin. "Anyone who tries to hurt my big Brother deserves to die!"

The surprisingly dark statement from Elise shook Corrin deeply. How could his siblings believe such things? How could Camilla find such pleasure in slaughter? And how had he lived with these people his entire life?

Finished with the battle, Camilla got off her wyvern and began walking back toward her siblings, her armor covered in blood. Sensing something was wrong, Camilla asked, "What's wrong darling? Those nasty Hoshidans are gone now. It's Ok."

His sister approaching him covered in the blood of enemy soldiers was the last straw for Corrin. Rather than accepting his sister's embrace, the young prince turned and ran, terrified of the new sides of his siblings.

"Where are you going Darling!?" Camilla called.

"Master, wait!" Felicia called.

"The shock of battle must have gotten to him." Xander reasoned. "Gunter, head after him! There will probably be more reinforcements on the way."

"Yes sir!" Gunter replied. "I'll bring him back safe and sound." Before riding off in pursuit of his young lord.

 _All those people... are dead because of me..._ Was all Corrin could think about as he ran frantically away from the battle. _They didn't deserve to die._

"Milord, wait!"

Gunter finally caught up to Corrin on one of the rope bridges that ran across the canyon.

"All those people are dead because of me Gunter." Corrin said, "And none of them even bat an eye..."

"That is how they have to be." Gunter replied. "Our kingdom is constantly at war with your siblings at the helm. If they were to break down at the sight of blood during each battle, Nohr would be doomed."

"But how can you justify that kind of killing?" Corrin asked, desperately trying to understand what seemed to come so naturally to his other siblings. "How can they live with that blood on their hands?"

"Everyone copes in different ways. Prince Xander tells himself it's for the good of the kingdom, Leo sees each battle as a test of his skill and Camilla and Elise justify themselves by saying they kill to protect the ones they love, like you. That is why Camilla fought so viciously today and what I believe Leo wanted you to learn from her."

"He wanted me to find a way to kill?"

"No. He wanted you to find a reason to fight." Gunter explained. "Once you find what your fighting for, nothing will be able to stop you."

With that, Corrin embraced the Great Knight who had been more like a father to him than anyone else in the world. "Thank you Gunter. I needed to hear that."

"Of course milord." Gunter replied, smiling as he placed his arm around Corrin and pat him on the back. "Glad to be of service."

"Well isn't this sweet?!"

The tender moment between master and retainer was interrupted as Hans began walking toward them.

"What do you want Hans?" Gunter asked curtly. "We were about to go rejoin the battle."

"That's just it." The Berserker said with a grin, "I can't let that happen." Pulling out his axe, Hans charged the unsuspecting duo.

"Get back milord!" Gunter cried as he pushed Corrin out of his arms and raised his shield to defend against Hans' surprise attack.

The boards of the old rope bridge bent with every strike as Hans tried to get through Gunter's heavy armor. On the defensive, Gunter was forced backwards until the weight of his armor and the strength of his foe's strikes were enough to break the bridge's creaky boards.

"Corrin!" Gunter cried as he fell into the abyss below.

"Gunter, NO!" Corrin yelled as his faithful retainer was swallowed up by the Bottomless Canyon. Lightning crackled as Corrin asked, "Why Hans!? Why would you do this?"

"Let's call it job protection." Hans replied with a sneer. "But that old relic wasn't my target!"

Taking out his axe, Hans rushed the young prince who barely parried the attack. Hans pushed the offensive just as he had in his fight with Gunter, pushing Corrin backwards with each power-packed swing of his weapon.

 _Just be patient._ Corrin thought. _He's probably fatigued from the battle just like you. Wait for an opening and strike._

As Hans' relentless assault continued, the Berserker began to slow as the injuries sustained from the battle caught up to him. Once his enemy slowed to a sufficient rate, Corrin began his counterattack. Pressing his weapon advantage, Corrin slashed furiously at the man who had killed one of his closest friends, not letting up for a single instant.

 _He can't even counter against me._ The young prince thought as he continued his rage filled assault. _Finish this! He KILLED Gunter!_ As these thoughts filled his head, Corrin began slashing harder and moving erratically, breaking through Hans' guard. _H_ _e_ _deserves to die!_

"RAGHHRRR!"

"What the hell?"

Corrin unleashed a Dragon-like roar as parts of his body transformed to continue the assault on a now bewildered Hans. A transformed limb pierced the Berserker's right shoulder, before clamping down like a mouth with Corrin's other limb to tear off what little armor Hans had left.

"There he is! Retrieve Prince Corrin!"

Corrin was snapped out of his enraged state by Kaze, who was rushing across the bridge with Rinkah to attack him.

"This is perfect." Hans said, clutching his bloody shoulder as he turned and ran. "I might not have been able to kill you, but those Hoshidans sure will. HAHAHA!"

"You won't take me without a fight!" Corrin declared as he rushed into battle once again.

While he had easily defeated Rinkah and Kaze back in Windmere, Corrin was now powerless against their attacks. Physically and emotionally drained from his battles and the death of Gunter, not a single one of his blows landed against either target. It wasn't long before a solid blow to the head from Rinkah sent the young prince to the ground unconscious.

 **AN: Hello everyone and welcome back! Hopefully you enjoyed the new chapter, it was quite a brute a times to write but I think it turned out pretty well. A lot happened this chapter so let's go over the changes made.**

 **Garon doesn't try to hide Anankos when Corrin and Elise eavesdrop on him. I think this was originally supposed to build a little mystery in the original story but Garon talks frankly about Anankos in front of Corrin as soon as he returns to Nohr, killing what little mystery they had built. Perhaps this was better utilized in one of the other routes but it seemed unnecessary for Conquest.**

 **Corrin has a greater negative reaction to his sibling's warrior sides. This shows Corrin is still somewhat innocent and disgusted at war, gives a plausible excuse as to why only he and Gunter are present when Hans attacks, and should increase the tension when the time comes to choose a side (hopefully).**

 **Finally, even though I mentioned this before, there is no My Castle aspect, meaning Kaze and Rinkah are the ones to come and interrupt the battle between Hans and Corrin. I don't believe the Ganglari magically tossing Corrin into the canyon was explained in any of the games and with Hoshidan reinforcements already on their way, Rinkah and Kaze interrupting the fight just seemed to make the most sense.**

 **There you have it! Hopefully you enjoyed the changes and my reasoning behind them. Feel free to leave a review with your thoughts and comments! All I ask is that you leave no spoilers for Birthright or Revelations. Thanks and I'll see you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4: Hoshido

The weeks following the battle at the Bottomless Canyon were a blur to Corrin as his captors kept him in a state of nearly constant unconsciousness, only allowing him small meals before knocking him out once again.

With the few opportunities available to him, Corrin theorized how he might escape.

 _I need to appeal to their sense of mercy._ He thought. _Since I let Kaze and Rinkah go before, maybe they'll allow me the same curtesy. What if they don't? Challenge them to combat?_

Only a handful of options presented themselves to Corrin before Rinkah and Kaze presented him in chains before a red-clad samurai in the Shirasagi throne room, the capital of the kingdom of Hoshido. Even though it was his first time in front of this man, something about him seemed familiar.

The Castle Shirasagi was nearly the polar opposite of Castle Krakenburg. Where the Nohrian Castle was cold, dark and uninviting, the Hoshidan throne room was cloaked with tapestries that warmed the room and glistened in the light of the Hoshidan sun.

"We've brought you Prince Corrin, just as you requested Lord Ryoma." Kaze said as he and Rinkah kneeled in front of the Hoshido royal.

"Sorry about the chains. He was a bit of a handful." Rinkah added.

"You've done well Kaze, Rinkah." He said, addressing both warriors before turning to Corrin. "We've been looking for you for a long time."

"What are you going to do to me?" Corrin yelled pulling at his chains. "Torture me? Kill me?"

"We-"

"I showed your soldiers mercy, the least you can do is show me the same." Corrin continued, not letting Ryoma get a word in edgewise.

"We-"

"Not going to show me mercy? Fine, I challenge you to combat! I will win my-"

Corrin's desperate ramblings wear cut off by a sharp blow to the back of his head from Rinkah.

"Shut up and let the Prince speak." The Oni Savage said bluntly.

"Heh heh." Ryoma chuckled "Thank you Rinkah. As I've been trying to say, we have no plans to torture or kill you. We only wish for you to return to your family."

"Y-You aren't going to kill me?" Corrin asked confused. "You're just going to let me go?"

"You showed Rinkah and Kaze that courtesy, the least we can do is return it to you." Ryoma replied. With a slight nod, Rinkah released the chains holding Corrin's hands and legs while Kaze set the Ganglari at his feet. "All we've ever wanted is for you to be happy."

 _This Ryoma is really nice and he looks so familiar. I just can't place where I've seen him before._

"So I'm free to go?" Corrin asked once again as he turned toward the throne room door.

"Yes but there is someone who wants to meet you first."

Walking into the throne room was a beautiful priestess clad in in nearly all white, accentuating her black hair which was worn in a ponytail. While her face displayed an endless well of kindness, the Priestess' eyes betrayed a deep sadness.

"I-It truly is you." The Priestess said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"This is the Queen of Hoshido." Ryoma commented. "Queen Mikoto."

 _Why would the Queen of Hoshido want to meet me?_ Corrin thought, mind racing at these new developments. _Why have they been so nice to me? And why does everyone I meet here look so God damn familiar._ Lost in his own thoughts, the Nohrian Prince didn't notice when a single word escaped his lips.

"Mother?"

Overjoyed, Queen Mikoto burst into tears and rushed to embrace Corrin. "You do remember!" She exclaimed as tears began to run down her face. "I knew you would come back to us one day! I knew he could never make you forget! My boy! My beautiful baby boy!"

After a couple of moments, Corrin came back to his senses and pulled away from Queen Mikoto. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that. I'm a Prince of Nohr and I don't know any of you. How could you possibly be my Mother?"

"So he was able to do it..." Mikoto mumbled as she recomposed herself, wiping away her tears. "Garon has made you forget..."

"Only the conscious mind has forgotten. Deep down he remembers." Ryoma commented, trying to comfort his mother. Turning to Corrin, he said, "What Queen Mikoto has said is true. While you have grown up believing you are a Nohrian Prince, you were actually born here in Hoshido. Queen Mikoto is your Mother and the late King Sumeragi was your Father."

 _That would explain why everything here looks so familiar... and I can't sense a hint of deceit in their words._

"If that were the case, how did I end up in Nohr?" Corrin asked.

"You were taken by Garon." Mikoto replied. "He lured King Sumeragi to Cheve under the pretense of peace and used the opportunity to kill your father and steal you away."

"That's awful and I'm truly sorry you had to go through that but-"

"Even if you don't believe our story, all we ask is that you stay with us for a few days." Ryoma interrupted. "You will be free to go at anytime but I know our other siblings will want to spend time with you. If you end up believing our story, Hoshido will gladly welcome you back and if not, you can return to Nohr with bonds that may help us bring peace to our kingdoms. Does that sound fair?" The crown prince extended his hand toward his younger brother.

"I think I can live with that." Corrin replied, shaking his brother's hand.

The happy reunion between brothers was interrupted as a samurai burst into the throne room and hastily knelt before Ryoma.

"Milord, I have urgent news! The Northern village of Rigel is under attack!"

"Rigel?! That can't be! That's where Sakura and Hinoka are!" Ryoma turned to Corrin before continuing. "Come with me Brother. I believe this battle will tell you everything you need to know about us and about Nohr."

"If there are people in trouble, I'll gladly go with you."

"We will come too." Kaze declared, as he and Rinkah stepped forward. "We will protect you both should the battle turn ugly."

"Thank you Kaze, now let's go! Time is of the essence!" Ryoma declared, leading his small fighting force into the field.

It was a solid half day's march to the Northern village but smoke from destroyed buildings could be seen from miles away. When the four fighters finally arrived, they truly witnessed the damage done. The charred remains of trees and buildings alike littered the snow-covered ground, with only a few homes left standing.

"Kaze, check the wreckage for survivors!" Corrin ordered, trying desperately to keep up with Ryoma. "We'll keep pushing forward to find Hinoka and Sakura."

"H-Help! Help us!"

"That was Sakura!" Ryoma declared. "And it was coming from this way. Come on!"

Wasting no time, the samurai began running Northwest, his comrades following close behind.

"W-What are those?" The Nohrian Prince asked, gesturing toward the enemies standing in their way.

Those standing before them were more monster than man, each standing seven feet tall with sickly green skin and huge muscles.

"Those are Faceless. Probably the cause of all this too." Rinkah said.

"We need to focus on saving our sisters and getting across this snowfield." Ryoma cut in. "There will be time for explanations later. For now all you need to know is that these are your enemies. Got it?"

"Got it. Lead the way."

Boldly leaping into the fray, Ryoma drew his Raijinto in a crackle of lightning, easily striking down Faceless one after another.

 _He's good. He might even be a match for Xander_. Corrin observed before he and Rinkah joined the battle.

While they may have looked like imposing enemies from a distance, the Faceless were surprisingly weak. Their strikes were strong but slow, easily avoidable to anyone with combat training.

"That's the last of them." Ryoma declared, "We need to keep moving forward!"

"That's going to be difficult sir." Rinkah replied, "The snow is deep beyond here. It'll slow our progress considerably if we continue on this route."

"Dammit! There's no telling how much time they have left."

"I-I might be able to help there." Corrin said meekly before crouching down and activating a Dragon Vein. In a flash of magical power, fire burst from the ground to melt the snow pile blocking their way.

"So that's the power of a Dragon Vein..." Kaze said in awe as he rejoined his comrades.

"Good thinking Corrin!" Ryoma said, drawing his blade once more. "I'll handle the Faceless and you keep activating Dragon Veins."

"Can do!"

"We'll protect you every step of the way." The ninja continued, pulling out an Iron Shuriken.

The Hoshidian strike force continued pushing forward with Ryoma at the helm and Corrin blazing a trail with Dragon Veins. Even though there were Faceless swarming around the village, they were no match for the lightning filled strikes of the Raijinto and any that did manage to survive a strike were quickly struck down by Rinkah or Kaze. Like a well oiled machine, the four made their way easily through the village until only a single snow mound remained between them and the two Hoshidian royals.

"This should be the last one!" Corrin declared as he activated yet another Dragon Vein. After activating so many in such a short time, the Nohrian was becoming quite proficient in using his Dragon blood and the final snow pile melted in a flash.

"Great!" Ryoma declared. "I'll go ahead and make sure Hinoka and Sakura are Ok." He smiled and said, "You fought well today, take it easy for a bit." Before running off.

"Whew." Corrin said as he collapsed into the snow. "That was a workout! I'm glad we were able to save the princesses though. Kaze, how were the townspeople?"

"Sadly they didn't fare quite as well. The entire village is practically destroyed and only a few families were able to make it out unscathed..."

"That's terrible. What will happen to them?"

"Most of them'll probably move on." Rinkah replied, "A few sorry souls will stay and try to rebuild what they lost but the rest will move to other villages and simply try to forget what happened here."

Disheartened at Rinkah's assessment of the village, the three remained silent until Ryoma returned with the Hoshidian Princesses. One had red hair, an athletic figure and was wielding a naginata while the other had a smaller build with salmon colored hair wearing the garb of a shrine maiden. Just as when he laid eyes on Queen Mikoto and Ryoma, Corrin was struck with an air of familiarity when he saw the two girls.

As the Hoshidian royals approached, the younger of the two girls asked Ryoma, "I-Is this the boy who helped you get to us?"

"Yes it is. Hinoka, Sakura this is-"

"I know who he is..." Hinoka said teary eyed before rushing in an wrapping her arms around her long lost brother. "It's Corrin! You've finally come back to us!"

"Y-Yes..." Corrin replied nervously as he tried to comfort this complete stranger.

"Hinoka was quite broken up when you were taken." Ryoma explained. "I think she took it the hardest out of all of us. She cried for days after you were gone, hoping you would come back. Then one day she realized crying would accomplish nothing and picked up the naginata. She's now one of the finest Sky Knights Hoshido has to offer."

"I never gave up hope!" She said, face red with tears of joy. "And now you're back! Take that Nohr! We win, you lose!"

"This is the brother that was taken from us!?" Sakura exclaimed in her quiet voice. She straightened her back and said, "I may have been too young to remember you before you were taken, but we all missed you and..." She bowed before finishing her statement, "It's great to have you back!"

"You don't have to be so formal Sakura." Ryoma said, "He is our brother after all!"

"O-Of course! S-Sorry..."

"There's no need to apologize." Corrin said, "We've been separated for a long time, it's only natural to be a bit nervous. There will be plenty of time for us to reconnect on the way back to the capital."

"He's right." Kaze interjected, "The queen is probably worried about all of you and we'll have to leave now if we want to make it back by sunset."

"We shall leave immediately then!" Ryoma declared, "Hinoka, grab your pegasus and then we'll be off."

With Kaze and Rinkah scouting ahead for threats, the Hoshidian party began their trek back to the capital. All along the way Corrin and his siblings traded stories about the time they had missed in each other's lives, rekindling a bond the prince had not realized he was missing.

 _They're all so nice. I've only known each of them for a matter of hours but I already feel a real connection to each of them. I wish Xander and the others were here, I bet they would all hit it off._

"Hey Ryoma, you never did explain to me what we were battling back there. What are the Faceless?"

"They're Nohrian soldiers made through magic." Ryoma explained. "Queen Mikoto has erected a magical barrier around our kingdom to protect it from those who would do it harm. The Faceless are the only things capable of breaking through the barrier."

"Which is why we're sent out to kick their collective asses!" Hinoka declared with pride. "They might as well be called dead meat at the end of my naginata!"

"Who would create such monstrosities?"

"N-Nohrian mages." Sakura said, "They create them to hurt Hoshidians but end up hurting themselves."

"What do you mean?"

"In most cases the created Faceless turn on their creators." Ryoma expanded. "The spell is apparently very draining to the user and leaves them defenseless. The only mage known to have survived each of his creation ceremonies is the creator of the spell himself: Garon's right hand Iago."

"The commoners call him the Father of Faceless over in Nohr." Hinoka added.

"I never knew Iago was such a well renowned mage..."

"Hoshido has some pretty amazing people too. You'll see." Hinoka replied as the force neared the castle where Queen Mikoto was awaiting their return.

"How did the mission go? None of you are hurt I hope."

"Of course not Mother." Sakura said, "But Rigel is in shambles..."

"That's terrible... I shall send them aid as soon as possible." Mikoto said firmly. "But it is late, let me show your brother to his room."

The small party went their separate ways and Corrin was left to follow Mikoto through the winding halls of Castle Shirasagi until the two reached a room covered in dust.

"This was your room when you were a child." Mikoto said with a soft smile. "Everything is exactly as you left it. None of us could bring ourselves to come in here after you were taken. There were too many memories here."

Stepping inside, Corrin observed a room done in the typical Hoshidian style: an open design with sliding doors used for the closets and door. Small toys and drawings were strewn about the room supporting Mikoto's claim that it had been Corrin's at one time. The same feeling of familiarity washed over the Nohrian as he cautiously stepped into the room and picked up a crudely drawn picture from the floor.

"You drew that when you were little." Mikoto said from over her son's shoulder. "That's me on the right, your Father on the left and you in the center. You always loved to draw as a child..."

"Everything here feels so familiar, like there are memories just below the surface." Corrin said as he turned to face the woman claiming to be his mother. "Each one of you has been so nice and after everything that's happened I can't deny that you could be my mother but I'm just not sure. If what you're saying is true, my entire life up to this point has been a lie. It's a lot to process."

Rather than getting angry at her son's refusal to believe her story, Mikoto simply smiled a mother's smile and said, "Take all of the time you need. You're safe here so explore the castle and process everything you've learned. When you're ready, I'll be here waiting." Unknowingly making things even more difficult on her son.

"Thank you. I'll do that."

Walking past his mother, Corrin began to slowly meander about the castle as he tried to resolve his conflicting feelings.

 _Everything the Hoshidians have said fits together too well to be lies but if they're telling the truth, what does that say about Xander, Leo and the others. Why have they been lying to me my whole life? Why have they doted on me if I'm not their blood related sibling? Eventually I'm going to have to choose: should I believe the Hoshidians or do I return to Nohr?_

Now in the castle courtyard, Corrin was pulled out of his stupor by a beautiful voice emanating from the nearby lake.

 _You are the ocean's gray waves,_

 _Destined to seek life beyond the shore just out of reach_

Entranced by the song, Corrin raced along the lake's edge until he found its source, a young woman with long blue hair who seemed to be stepping out of the water. When she noticed Corrin she quickly stopped singing and turned around in surprise.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you, it's just your singing was captivating."

"N-No it's fine." The girl replied in a calming voice. "I am Azura, a former princess of Nohr. What is your name? I haven't seen you around the castle before."

"I'm Corrin and I'm-" He cut himself off, unsure as to whether to call himself a Nohrian or Hoshidian Prince. "I'm actually from Nohr. I grew up with the Nohrian royal family. It's a wonder we didn't meet during your time in Nohr."

"That would have been very unlikely, considering I was kidnapped from Nohr shortly after you were taken there."

"Y-You were kidnapped from Nohr!? How did that happen?"

"After you were taken and brought to Nohr, countless attempts were made to try and retrieve you but each one failed. I, on the other hand, was less closely guarded than you and was kidnapped in retaliation. Yukimura, Queen Mikoto's strategist, hoped to trade me back for your freedom but overestimated Garon's compassion. With negotiations broken down, I was left here in Hoshido."

"I'm so sorry! You were kidnapped because of me."

"Don't worry yourself. There's nothing you could have done." Azura replied with a small smile, "Besides, all though I am technically a hostage, I have enjoyed my life here in Hoshido. Queen Mikoto has accepted me as one of the royal family and gives me free reign to move about the castle."

"Don't you ever miss Nohr?" Corrin asked, seeing the parallels between their stories and trying to gain insight. "I'm sure the other Nohrian royals miss you just like the Hoshidian royals have missed me."

"Someday I would like to reconnect with my true siblings in Nohr but if given the choice, I would rather stay here in Hoshido." Azura replied before explaining, "Queen Mikoto rules through love and compassion while King Garon rules through fear and subjugation. There is no way I can support someone who rules like that, even if he is my father."

"That's quite a compelling argument. Thank you for the insight." Corrin replied, feeling more at ease. "If you wouldn't mind, could I listen to your song some more? There's something about it that's very soothing."

"Of course." Azura replied, happy to have met a kindred spirit as well.

While Corrin enjoyed peace in the sun of Hoshido, the Nohrian royal siblings were just returning to Castle Krakenburg where Garon was waiting to receive news of the mission.

"I bring news your majesty." Iago said as he entered the throne room and bended his knee. "The fort you desired on the Hoshidian border is now ours."

"Excellent. And what of Corrin's test?"

"Hans moved exactly as expected." Iago replied with a smile. "By threatening to replace him with Corrin, he attacked the prince mid-mission."

"And the result?" The King asked.

"The prince's retainer, Gunter, was knocked into the Bottomless Canyon-"

"He always was a troublemaker." Garon interjected. "Go on."

"Yes well Hans as returned to us but is quite badly injured. Unfortunately before their battle could be finished, Prince Corrin was captured by Hoshidian reinforcements. He's probably learning the truth about his heritage as we speak."

"That is most unfortunate. I had hoped to use him as a weapon of Nohr in the upcoming conflict..."

"Shall I activate the contingency?"

"Wait a few days. Knowing the Hoshidians, they will throw a festival to celebrate the safe return of their prince." Garon schemed. "Activate it then."

"As you wish sire." Iago replied before leaving the throne room to prepare for the King's contingency plan.

 **AN: And there's Chapter 4! I hope you guys didn't mind my glossing over the Faceless Battle. Individually they weren't that tough and the real puzzle of the chapter was how to activate the Dragon Veins so Ryoma could move forward. I think I portrayed that well at least. Only a couple more chapters until the route split and I come bearing some good news: You too will be able to choose your route. My friend TheThirdRoute has decided to overhaul the route of Revelations in "Revelation Revamped". The first chapter is already out and picks up at the route split. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Now on to the changes made this chapter.** **There were a few minors changes but I'll only discuss the 2 major ones here**

 **1) Connecting the backstories of Iago and the Faceless. Both the Faceless and Iago are supposed to be threatening characters in Conquest but neither really fills that role. By connecting the Faceless to Iago, it gives the Faceless a better backstory then just "ambiguously created by Nohrian mages" and should give Iago a bit more depth (which will be built upon later in the story).**

 **2) The added scene between Garon and Iago. Maybe I didn't need to add this scene but I feel like it ties up some of the lingering questions from Chapter 3 and lays groundwork for Chapter 4. Hans attacked Corrin because Iago told him his job was in jeopardy. Garon gave Corrin the simple mission at the border because his true test was the fight with Hans. As for Garon's contingency, you can all probably guess what it is but, just in case you can't, I'll leave it mystery until it's revealed next chapter.**

 **I hope you enjoyed and feel free to leave a review with your thoughts! Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5: Mother

The next few days spent in Hoshido were some of the best of Corrin's young life. Reconnecting with nearly all of his long lost siblings, Corrin instantly felt like a part of the family. He and Ryoma constantly tested each other in swordplay, Hinoka flew him around the capital on her pegasus, Sakura took walks with the young prince around the castle and Azura gave him lessons on Hoshidian culture.

While connecting with his siblings was easy, reconnecting with Queen Mikoto proved to be more difficult. Despite the time the two had spent together, Corrin was still having trouble accepting Mikoto as his mother. Perhaps it was because he had only had a Father for his entire life, but any gesture by Mikoto toward her son fell flat. The Nohrian prince did want to connect with his Mother but was unsure as to how to accomplish the feat.

On the fifth day of his stay in Hoshido, Corrin was called to the throne room by Queen Mikoto.

"H-Hello Queen Mikoto." He said, still unsure of how he should refer to the Queen.

"I told you that you didn't have to be so formal with me Corrin." Mikoto replied with a small smile. "But that isn't why I called you here."

"Ok, then M-Mother." The word was still quite awkward to the young prince, "Why was I called here?"

"I would like to announce your return to the people of Hoshido. People have been talking about a Nohrian spy getting close to the royal family and I would like to these rumors to rest."

"I can understand wanting to quiet these rumors but I haven't decided to stay in Hoshido yet." Corrin replied. "If you announce my return to Hoshido and I do decide to go back to Nohr, how will that make me look to the public?"

"The public would admittedly have a problem with you returning to Nohr, but these rumors need to be put to rest or the royal family will lose face."

"Don't worry Brother." Ryoma said, walking into the room with a blond ponytailed archer. "If you stay in Hoshido, this announcement only benefits you and if you do decide to return to Nohr, you shouldn't care what the Hoshidian public thinks. Correct?"

"I suppose..."

"Excellent! Preparations have already been made!" Ryoma declared. "The entire castle will be holding a festival leading up to your big reveal. You should go into town with Azura and the others. It'll give you a chance to connect to your other brother."

Mikoto gestured toward the blond haired man and introduced her stepson. "This is Takumi. He just returned from a patrol of the border."

"A patrol that wouldn't have been necessary if not for you..." The archer mumbled under his breath as he halfheartedly extended a hand in greeting.

"It's very nice to finally meet you again Brother." Corrin said as he took his brother's hand. Takumi only gave a scowl in reply before returning to the Queen's side.

"You two go enjoy the festival." Mikoto said, glossing over any animosity she may have sensed from Takumi. "Perhaps Azura would like to join you as well. I know how close you two have become over the past several days Corrin."

Takumi rolled his eyes while Corrin replied, "That's an excellent idea Mother but what about my other siblings?"

"They will be hard at work with me preparing the festival." The Queen replied as she began to push Corrin and Takumi out of the throne room. "Now go and have fun. Enjoy all Hoshido has to offer! Hinoka will come and get you when the time comes."

Rushing the siblings out of the room, Mikoto closed the throne room door and visibly slouched.

"Is everything all right Mother? You seemed to be forcing things between Corrin and Takumi." Ryoma stated. "You know Takumi hates anything remotely Nohrian. It will take time for the two of them to reconnect."

"I know you're right but..." The Queen paused and sighed before continuing, "There is something I must tell you Ryoma. Something that will impact the entire nation of Hoshido."

While Ryoma received dire news from Queen Mikoto, Corrin was enjoying the festival just as his mother had wanted. Vendors lined the crowded streets as the sun shone brightly overhead.

"This is amazing!" Corrin exclaimed as he moved about the crowds with Azura and Takumi in tow. "We never had anything like this back in Nohr!"

"That's because food is much more plentiful here." Azura explained. "Hoshido has the spare resources to throw festivals like these. It's just one of the many advantages of living here, be sure to enjoy yourself."

"Just don't get too comfortable _Brother._ " Takumi growled.

"What do you mean?" Corrin asked, not noticing the anger in Takumi's voice.

"Do you need me to spell it out for you!? I don't trust you. All of those years in Nohr has probably turned you into a Nohrian scumbag."

"Takumi! Is that anyway to treat your brother?" Azura asked.

"The same goes for you Azura." The Hoshidian royal replied, "You may have lived here in Hoshido most of your life, but deep down your still a filthy Nohrian waiting for an opportunity to strike."

"That doesn't make sense! If all of my years in Nohr have turned me into a Nohrian, then shouldn't the same be true for Azura living all of these years in Hoshido?"

"The country of Nohr is like a plague upon the Earth, polluting anything and everything it comes in contact with. The sooner it is taken off the map, the sooner this world will know peace."

"You say that as though there are no good Nohrians at all. Most of the people I interacted with back at the Northern Fortress were very nice."

"Of course filth would talk highly of other filth." Takumi replied brushing off the comment. "Watch your step dear Brother. If you make one false step, I won't hesitate to shoot you down with my Fujin Yumi." With that final remark, Takumi disappeared into the crowd.

"Wow... I never realized someone could harbor such a deep hatred against a country."

"Sadly Takumi's comments echo the thoughts of most people here in Hoshido." Azura explained. "Nohr's constant aggression against smaller states and their assassination of our king have not left a pleasant taste in the mouth's of Hoshido. But don't worry yourself, Takumi will warm up to you in time. It took him years to even let me speak his name and you've only known him a few hours. Simply give him time."

"You're probably right. Let's just enjoy the festival and deal with Takumi later."

Walking around the crowded streets of Hoshido, Corrin and Azura enjoyed all the festival had to offer, sampling traditional Hoshidian food like onigiri and playing games. The two eventually came across an ominous looking shop with a crystal ball on display.

"What kind of shop is this?"

"This is the shop of a Diviner." Azura explained. "They are supposedly able to see visions of the future. You can only find these shops here in Hoshido."

Intrigued at the thought of seeing the future, the Nohrian Prince took a cautious step into the shop. It was a dimly lit shop with dust thickly laden in the air. In the center was a small table with a crystal ball. Behind it sat an old woman who gazed almost greedily at her newest customer.

"Hello young man. Care for a glimpse into your future?"

"Can you really do that, glimpse into the future?"

"Anything is possible if you have enough magical power." The woman replied with a crooked smile.

"I have a bad feeling about this Corrin." Azura whispered. "If you truly wish to have a reading, there is a perfectly good Diviner back at the castle."

"That quack Orochi? I have forgotten more techniqies than that novice will ever learn."

Hearing the woman boast only increased the young prince's interest. Sitting down at the table Corrin ignored Azura's previous warning and asked. "Could you look into my future?"

"Of course" The Diviner replied. She took the young prince's hands and said, "Let us begin."

Magic began to permeate the air and a blue ethereal glow spiraled around them. After a few moments, the glow died down and the Diviner turned to look at Corrin.

"This is... odd."

"What is odd? What did you see?" The Prince asked excitedly.

"I saw... nothing. Your future is shroud in a deep fog and I was not able to ascertain anything."

"It's just as I thought. This woman doesn't know anything." Azura commented. "Let's leave and have your future read back at the castle."

"Orochi will be able to see even less than I did." The Diviner called as Corrin and Azura turned to leave. "I was able to see one thing! There is a big choice coming in your future. A choice that will affect your life and lives of everyone around you."

The diviner's words carried even as Corrin and Azura rejoined the crowds and found Hinoka waiting for them.

"There you two are!" The princess called. "Mother is ready to start the ceremony!"

Hinoka led Corrin and Azura to a large stage set up in the middle of town where each of the other Hoshidian royals were already present. A large crowd had gathered around eager to see what their Queen was to announce.

"People of Hoshido! Long have we suffered in the wrathful shadow of our neighbors in the west. Constantly you have lived in fear of the Kingdom of Nohr who have harassed our borders and even killed our great King and my husband Sumeragi. But in these dark times there are rays of light. Perhaps some of you will remember the Hoshidian Prince that was taken from us on that fateful day in Cheve. Today I am proud to say that Prince Corrin has returned to us!"

The crowd cheered as Queen Mikoto took a step backwards and gently took hold of her son's shoulder. Whispering she said, "I hate to put you on the spot Corrin but I think the people are expecting you to comment."

"M-Me!? But I haven't prepared anything!"

Ryoma took hold of Corrin's other shoulder and said, "Simply speak confidently from the heart and your words will reach the people."

Looking back at each of his Hoshidian royal siblings, each one encouraged him to speak as the crowd continued to cheer in the background. Sakura gave Corrin a nod and a smile, Hinoka gave her brother a thumbs up and even Takumi was wearing a smirk that said 'give the people what they want'. Somewhat reluctantly, Corrin stepped forward to take the stage. Little did the Nohrian Prince know that back at Castle Krakenburg, Iago was activating King Garon's contingency: Ganglari. Four words and an outpouring of magic was all it took to completely change the lives of everyone in Hoshido.

"Ganglari." Iago said calmly as a malicious purple aura surrounded him. "Awaken and annihilate!"

Back at Castle Shirasagi, Corrin was just beginning his speech as Iago's spell took affect.

"I want to thank Hoshido for welcoming me back with open arms!" Corrin began as Ganglari shook violently in it's scabbard at the prince's side. "As you are all aware, I have lived in Nohr for nearly all of my life. Living away from Hoshido for all of those years has allowed me to truly appreciate just how great this country is!" The crowd cheered even louder in response to Corrin while the Ganglari shook even harder. "I hope to use my experiences from both Nohr and Hoshido to help bring peace to the world!"

Just as Corrin finished his speech, Ganglari managed to break free of it's scabbard, flying into the air where it's sickly purple aura began to intensify. Unaware of the danger they were in, the crowd simply stared in awe as Ganglari's aura grew, before folding in on itself to create a large explosion. Debris flew everywhere as people began to scream in terror.

"AHH!" Takumi cried as a sharp piece of debris hit his head, knocking him unconscious.

"Takumi!" Hinoka cried, rushing to her brother's side.

"How could this happen?" Corrin said, looking out at the destruction his sword had caused. The castle courtyard was completely destroyed with injured civilians lying everywhere.

In the middle of all the destruction, Ganglari continued to float with it's sickly purple aura. Slowly it began to fall back to the ground where the sword broke into deadly projectiles that shot themselves toward Corrin and the Hoshidian royal family. Ryoma defended himself, Sakura and Azura using the Raijinto while Hinoka used her naginata to defend her injured brother. Only Corrin was defenseless as the projectiles rocketed toward him, sure to be his demise. At the last possible moment, Queen Mikoto threw herself in front of her son and was hit with a countless number of projectiles. Even as the Queen collapsed into her son's arms on the verge of death, her thoughts were still on his well-being.

"Are you.. all right?" Mikoto croaked, the life beginning to fade from her eyes. "Tell me... you're not hurt"

"Mother! NO!" Corrin cried as Mikoto's eyes closed for the final time. Even though the two had not yet become close, deep down Corrin had accepted her as his Mother. This realization had sadly come at the cost of his Mother's life.

"Mother!" Ryoma, Hinoka and Sakura cried in unison as they each rushed to Corrin's side.

"I-Is she Ok?" Sakura asked already dreading the answer.

"She's fine..." Corrin said, clearly in denial. "She has to be. There's still so much we have to do..."

As the Nohrian Prince held his mother's lifeless body close, a wave of anger slowly began to wash it's way over the recovering crowd. One particularly vocal person, dressed in a dark cloak stepped forward and yelled, "He lied to us!" Pointing at the grieving prince, he continued, "He has killed the Queen!" Others slowly began to cheer in agreement. The cloaked man picked up what remained of Ganglari, now an ordinary Kodachi and cried, "The Nohrian scum must pay for his actions!"

"Stop spouting your lies this instant!" Ryoma yelled, drawing his sword and rushing into combat. "Corrin was used by the Nohrians. He had no idea this would happen."

As Ryoma and the cloaked man began crossing blades, Kaze and Rinkah emerged from the crowd and rushed to the royal family's side. Both of them were riddled with scratches but had otherwise come out unharmed.

"Milady." Kaze said, bowing in front of Hinoka. "What happened here?"

"It looks like a wildfire broke out." Rinkah commented.

"Those filthy Nohrians used our brother against us!" The Sky Knight declared. "His sword exploded and now Mother... Mother..."

"Queen Mikoto has died." Azura said bluntly as her adopted sister began to tear up. "The crowd has gone out of control. We need your help to bring them back under control. Can we count on your support?"

"Of course Lady Azura." Kaze replied for both himself and his Fire Tribe comrade.

Hearing someone officially declared his mother dead, sent Corrin's mind into a spiral. _How could this happen? I was just getting to know her and now she's gone!_ You _let this happen._ You _couldn't defend yourself and now Mother is dead. I can't aRAGHHHpt this. I won't allow thiRAGHHH!_ The deeper Corrin spiraled into his mind, the louder the roars became and soon his body was enveloped in a bright blue light. His arms began to extend and his hands turned into claws. Wings began to sprout from the prince's back just as horns began to sprout from his head.

"RAGGHHHHHH!" With a great roar and a flash of light, the small prince was replaced by a feral dragon, ready and willing to tear anything in it's path to shreds.

"What the hell is that!?" Rinkah asked.

"He's turned into an ancient dragon..." Azura replied, in awe of what she was seeing. "I've read about this in the history books. Ancient kings were able to transform into dragons, but I thought that power was long gone." Turning to Hinoka, she continued, "Take Takumi back to the Castle and have the Diviners begin work on a Dragonstone. It might be the only thing that can bring Corrin back to us."

"Got it." The elder princess replied before placing her brother on her pegasus and beginning the flight back to the castle.

Meanwhile Corrin was still adjusting to his new form, looking about for a target to attack. Eventually locking on a mercenary with an odd looking sword, the feral dragon charged.

"He's charging at a member of our anti-wyvern force." Kaze noticed. "That wyrmslayer will tear him to shreds!"

"Not if he can strike first." Azura replied before clearing her voice and singing, "Ahhh~"

As soon as the songstress let out her voice, Corrin began moving faster catching the mercenary off guard and allowing him to be impaled on one of the dragon's horns.

"My song can support us in this battle but we also need to support Corrin!"

"Of course Lady Azura." Kaze replied, brandishing his shuriken. "Let's go!"

"W-Wait!" Sakura called from behind. "I-I can help too!" Pulling out her staff, a white light began to glow around Kaze's and Rinkah's injuries.

"Thanks for the support." Rinkah replied before pulling out a Brass Club and saying, "Now let's put out this fire!"

Chaos reigned supreme as the small group set out to restore order to the crowd. Most people were still in a rage about the death of their Queen and were attacking Corrin. Others were running in fear of the feral dragon that had been released in their capital.

"RRAAAAGGGGHHH!"

Corrin let out another roar as a lucky hit from a wyrmslayer, pierced his hide.

"The speed buff I gave him must be wearing out." Azura commented. "We need to help him!"

"T-There's more trouble b-behind us." Sakura said, pointing to a team of 3 Diviners who had arrived on the scene. "I don't think Corrin will be able to take many magical attacks."

"Rinkah and I will take care of the magic users." Kaze declared. "You two keep supporting Lord Corrin."

"Got it!" Sakura replied with surprising intensity.

Leaving the royals behind to charge their enemy, Rinkah asked, "How are we going to take down these magic users? In case you haven't noticed, magic is strong against clubs. I'll be at a disadvantage."

"But I have an advantage with my shurikens and most magic users are physically weak." Kaze explained. "I'll draw their fire while you go in for the kill."

The first diviner pulled out a scroll containing an Ox Spirit and launched it at Rinkah while the other two summoned rat spirits. Thinking they had the Oni Savage outmatched, each one smirked with confidence. Their attacks were thwarted however by a few well timed shurikens from Kaze which dealt with each of the spirits and left their casters wide open for Rinkah's club.

The Ox Spirit Diviner went down with a loud cry as Rinkah's club struck true. The other two diviners fumbled with their scrolls, worried what the Savage might do at such close range. Capitalizing on their clumsiness, Rinkah was able to take out the second before another spirit could be called. The third diviner was able to summon his Rat Spirit once again but it proved to be too little too late. Rinkah simply took the attack head on before charging in and knocking the caster out.

"Well done." Kaze commented.

"Yeah, thanks for the assist." Rinkah replied with a smirk. "I'll have to repay you after the battle. We should really rejoin the action."

"Certainly. Let's go!"

It was not hard for the two to find the Hoshidian royals. Corrin's dragon form had torn a path of destruction across the courtyard with bloody bodies the only evidence that this mystical beast was truly real. Once Rinkah and Kaze caught up to the Hoshidian royals, they were able to better access the situation. Corrin had taken quite a few hits from mages and wyrmslayers alike but was still fighting with the same ferocity that he had at the start. Without Sakura's constant healing Corrin would have fallen ages ago but the young Shrine Maiden was tiring. Azura was tiring as well. Beads of sweat flew off her body as she continued to sing and channel strength into both Corrin and her adoptive sister.

"Allow us to help!" Rinkah yelled before striking down a wrymslaying mercenary who had drifted too close for comfort.

"How are you holding up miladies?" Kaze asked.

"Fine." Sakura replied. "I think Corrin's trying to get to Ryoma and the mob's leader. Maybe he'll come back to his senses if he can strike down the one who started the mob."

"We can certainly hope..." The ninja replied, uncertain whether Sakura's logic would hold.

Corrin charged through yet another wave of foes and Ryoma finally came into view. Both Ryoma and his Kodachi wielding foe were panting for air as Corrin charged toward them both. Ryoma was just barely able to jump out of the way as Corrin barreled into the cloaked man at full speed.

"Big Brother!" Sakura cried as she raced to Ryoma's side and began healing him. "Are you all right?"

"Don't worry about me." Ryoma replied as healing magic poured over his aching body. "Worry for Corrin."

Turning their attention back to the battle, the Hoshidians found that the cloaked man was still holding his own against the feral dragon which had slayed so many of his comrades. Each time Corrin charged, the cloaked man simply flipped out of the way or used his Kodachi to block against the prince's deadly horns.

"RRRRAGGHRRRR!" Corrin roared after another unsuccessful charge at his opponent.

"Come at me Nohrian dog!" The man goaded. "I want to see the life drain out of your eyes as I kill you."

"RRRAGGHHH!" Corrin roared before charging his foe once more.

As the feral dragon neared its target, the cloaked man made no move to block his adversary. The only move the mob leader made was a slight smirk before Corrin tackled him at full force. Rather than hearing the satisfying sound of bones crushing beneath a dragon's might, Corrin was met with only the fluttering of his adversary's cloak now stuck between his horns.

Angered by his foe's sudden disappearance and the nuisance of the cloak stuck to his horns, Corrin let out yet another roar.

"RRRRAAGGGHHHHH!"

"This isn't good." Ryoma said, slowly returning to his feet. "Corrin looks angry enough to destroy the whole town."

"What the hell happened here?!" Hinoka cried as she flew in on her pegasus.

"Corrin is beginning to lose control of himself." Azura said. "Have you brought the Dragonstone?"

"Yup its right here." Hinoka said, handing Azura the stone.

"Are you sure that will bring him back Lady Azura?" Kaze asked. "If we fail, he very well might destroy the whole town."

"It will." Azura replied with certainty. "But he is still too consumed with rage for the Dragonstone to work. We need to find a way to reach the Corrin deep inside the feral dragon."

"I'll fight him then." Ryoma declared, tightening his grip on the Raijinto. "That should exhaust him to the point where one of you might be able to get through to him."

"It's too dangerous Ryoma! He could kill you." Hinoka said, urging her brother not to fight alone. "At least let me lend some support."

"Sakura can heal me from the sidelines should the need arise, but should anything go wrong you will need to be the one to call reinforcements. All right?"

"Fine..." Hinoka replied sourly. "Go give 'em hell Big Bro!"

"That I shall." Ryoma said before charging toward Corrin.

The feral dragon had finally managed to untangle the cloak from his horns and turned to see Ryoma charging toward him with his sword drawn. Recognizing the swordmaster as another threat, Corrin charged as well locking his horns with the divine Raijinto. Both combatants came to a grinding halt as their weapons clashed. Utilizing his smaller size and greater mobility, Ryoma spun outwards and slashed at Corrin's side. Sparks flew as the Raijinto made contact with scales and Ryoma quickly pulled back just before a claw came down where he was standing.

"Can you not see its me Brother?" Ryoma asked, trying to reach his brother inside the beast. His words fell flat and the feral dragon barreled toward him, ready to see him impaled on one of his horns. The Hosidian Prince strafed out of the way before trying again. "Listen to my voice Brother. Come back to us!" Corrin ignored Ryoma's request and instead attacked once more to no avail. "If the sound of my voice will not do, hopefully the sounds of combat will be enough to bring you back."

The battle raged on as Corrin continued to attack Ryoma but each time he got close, the swordmaster would lunge out of the way and counterattack with the Raijinto. While the blade itself did not seem to be harming the feral dragon, it's lightning was certainly wearing the dragon down. Corrin's attacks were slowing down and losing power as his rage slowly burned away.

"He's... tiring." Ryoma yelled as he tried to catch his breath. The battle was taking its toll on him as well "Try... to snap... him out of this!"

"Lord Corrin! Snap out of this!" Kaze yelled. The dragon didn't notice and instead charged Ryoma once more.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Rinkah called. "You're acting worse than a barbarian!" Rinkah's remarks fell on deaf ears as the battle continued.

"B-Big Brother. We've only just met. I-I don't want to lose you!" Sakura called. Just as with Kaze and Rinkah's comments, Sakura's were ignored as well.

"I spent my whole life trying to find you Corrin. Please come back to us." Hinoka tried as exhaustion finally got the better of Ryoma. Corrin landed a direct hit and sent Ryoma to the ground. "Ryoma!"

 _"You are the ocean's gray waves~"_

Just before striking the final blow against Ryoma, Corrin turned his head toward Azura who had begun to sing.

 _"Destined to seek life beyond the shore just out of reach~"_ Cradling the Dragonstone between her hands, Azura continued toward the Dragon. _"Yet the waters ever change flowing like time the path is your's to climb~"_ At the end of the phrase, Azura came within arms reach of Corrin and gently touched the Dragonstone to his forehead. "Come back to us Corrin."

The feral dragon disappeared in a flash of light and when it faded, Corrin reappeared in human form sprawled upon the ground.

"Good work Azura." Ryoma commented. "How did you do it?"

"I was singing that song when Corrin and I first met." Azura explained. "I thought that maybe that memory in addition to the song might be enough to break him out."

"What happened?" Corrin asked as he slowly came back to his senses.

"You turned into a dragon and went on a rampage." Hinoka replied. "Right after Mother..."

Hearing the word Mother was enough to bring Corrin's grief back with a vengeance and tears began to well in his eyes.

"Its my fault. Ganglari was my sword and it killed Mother."

"You mustn't blame yourself." Ryoma replied. "That sword was a gift from King Garon was it not?"

"Y-Yes. Why?"

"Those Nohrians orchestrated this, obviously." Hinoka chimed in. "There's no way any of us could have seen this coming."

"Not exactly..." Ryoma admitted. "Queen Mikoto foresaw her own death. She confided in me only this morning. But I agree this had to have been King Garon's doing."

"That explains Ganglari exploding but what about that mob?" Azura asked. "It was only natural that they blame Corrin but violence isn't the Hoshidian way."

"That is because when Mother died, so did the barrier protecting Hoshido."

"I thought that barrier prevented those with an evil heart from attacking Hoshido." Kaze began, "Why would it affect those within Hoshido?"

"Its impossible to generate a spell that specific and have it affect so large an area." Ryoma explained, "That is only what was told to the public. On the surface it appears to be true but in reality, the barrier suppressed the negative emotions within one's heart. When the barrier came down, those repressed emotions must have resurfaced and manifested as anger toward Corrin."

It took a moment for Ryoma's explanation to sink in. "Wait a second. Hoshido as been manipulating their people's emotions!? That isn't right!"

"It was for the good of the people Corrin." Ryoma countered. "It may have infringed on people's rights but it kept them safe. Surely you can see that."

"What I can see is that Hoshido has been suppressing their citizens just like you claim Nohr does."

"Don't you dare compare us to them!" Rinkah cried. "They rule over their people with fear and violence-"

"And here in Hoshido you aren't even allowed to feel those things!" Corrin finished. "How can you not see the similarities?"

"We don't have time for this." Ryoma declared. "We have to clean up the city and deal with the death of our Queen. There will be time to properly discuss this later."

"Bad news Ryoma!" Takumi yelled as he raced onto the scene. A small bandage covering the cut from Ganglari "A small Nohrian war party has amassed itself outside the capital. We need to defend the capital!"

"That's impossible! How could they have gotten so far inside the border?" Hinoka mused.

"That doesn't matter right now." Ryoma replied. "Our first priority is to protect our people. Let's go!"

"Let me go too!" Corrin said. "I may not agree with what Queen Mikoto did but I do agree with protecting people."

"Don't you think you've done enough damage today?" Takumi said.

"You've just returned from being a feral dragon Corrin." Ryoma replied. "You should rest for a bit. There will be other opportunities to help the people of Hoshido. Azura, Kaze, Rinkah you stay here with Corrin and look for survivors. Takumi, Hinoka, Sakura let's go!"

As his birth family rushed off to face the Nohrian war party, Corrin knew he should be with them. "I need to go with Azura. Its the only way to make up for what I've done here. With my background in Nohr maybe I could even prevent the battle altogether."

"Ryoma wanted you to stay back and rest but if you truly believe you must go join the battle, I won't stop you." Azura replied. "However if you lose control of your emotions again you may revert back into a draconic state. If you feel yourself losing control, use this." Taking Corrin's hand, Azura gave him the Dragonstone. "According to the books I've read, channeling your magic into the Dragonstone should allow you to become a Dragon at will and remain in control."

"Thank you Azura. You've been a true friend these past few days." Corrin said, taking an Iron Katana off a dead soldier. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You're too kind." Azura said with a smile. "Good luck and be careful."

"Of course!" Corrin replied before chasing after Ryoma and his other siblings, unaware of how the next battle would change his life forever.

 **AN: Hello everyone! Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter(the longest one I've written for any story). Sorry about the delay but I just started graduate school a couple weeks ago and progress really slowed down. Unfortunately this means updates for this story will slow down slightly but I'll still try to write when I can. Now onto the changes(there are a lot of them)**

 **1) The Diviner scene. Rather than just having Corrin sample Hoshidian food, I thought it would be a nice touch to include a fortuneteller to both showcase a new Hoshido exclusive class and add some foreshadowing to the plot.**

 **2) Ganglari's explosion. In the original, this explosion was never truly explained (at least not in Conquest or Birthright) but I think it was implied to be the work of Valla. In Conquest Revamped, I've tried to cut out Valla as I believe it adds too many holes to the plot. Ganglari' explosion here was caused by a spell Iago put on the blade as a contingency in case Corrin returned to Hoshido.**

 **3) Ryoma vs. Corrin fight. This was done mostly to nerf the power of Azura's song but this change would have been a nice addition to the map You could've been given control of Ryoma, Hinoka and the others and been told to defeat yourself. I think it would have been a nice twist.**

 **4) Corrin untransformed via Dragonstone. As for Azura, I feel as though she and her song are given too much power over the plot. Here I tried to give Azura a moment to shine but also give a reason behind what is done and explain why there is a Dragonstone on the scene, rather than Azura just having one.**

 **5) Queen Mikoto's barrier. I changed Mikoto's barrier for two reasons. The first being that Hoshido is too nice. Other than his siblings in Nohr, Corrin has no feasible reason to go back. King Garon has been clearly established as evil and Hoshido has been established as just. Here in Revamped, Hoshido is shown to have a couple skeletons in their closet and at least strengthens the argument for Corrin's return. The second reason the barrier was changed was to explain why Hoshidians would start attacking Corrin so I could cut out the Valla soldiers.**

 **6) No Yato. I understand that the protagonist of each Fire Emblem game gets his own personal weapon but Corrin receives his way too easily. It is stated that the Yato chooses its weilder but shouldn't the weilder have to undergo some trial first to earn the blade? Siegfried, Raijinto and the other legendary weapons are implied to be royal family hierlooms in that if Takumi hadn't taken up the bow, Hinoka or Sakura could have wielded the Fujin Yumi instead. The Yato is the only weapon where it is specifically stated that it chooses its user. The Yato will be a part of Revamped, but will be introduced in a later chapter.**

 **And there you have it! Next up is the route split. Remember you too can choose your path. My friend TheThirdRoute has begun work on Revelations Revamped which picks up where I left off here. Be sure to check him out. Happy reading!**

 **Orimorium**


	6. Chapter 6: Embrace the Dark

The Hoshidians ran to the battlefield where they found Yukimura leading a small force against a retinue of Nohrians.

"How could they have gotten so close to the capital?" Takumi asked. "Mother's barrier should have made that impossible."

"Only improbable, not impossible." Ryoma replied curtly. "Focus on the task at hand. Sakura, stay with Yukimura and heal the injured. Hinoka, take to the skies and lead our Sky Knights and Takumi, cover me with the Fujin Yumi. Got it?"

"Got it!" All three siblings said in unison before assuming their assigned duties.

Riding her pegasus, Hinoka was the first to enter combat, catching an enemy wyvern off guard with a well placed lance strike.

"For Queen Mikoto!" The Princess yelled before charging into the fray with two fellow riders.

They quickly fell in behind a young blue haired wyvern rider and began a pursuit, throwing nageyaries to try and force the enemy rider into striking distance. Instead of panicking like most wyvern riders, this girl stayed eerily calm and simply deflected each thrown lance with a swing of her axe. Suddenly the wyvern rider made a sharp turn skyward, catching Hinoka and her fellow Sky Knights off guard. With the sun shining at her back, the Nohrian threw two hand axes, taking out both of Hinoka's wingmates.

"Target acquired." The Wyvern Rider said calmly.

"You wanna go? Let's go!" Hinoka countered before charging toward her foe.

The Hoshidian's piercing attack was easily blocked by a mighty vertical axe swing from the Nohrian who wasted no time in counterattacking, going straight for Hinoka's head. Strands of hair flew off Hinoka's head as the axe whizzed past her face.

The Blue haired wyvern rider was relentless in her attacks, not giving Hinoka a moment to counterattack and forcing her on the defensive.

 _I can't lose here!_ Hinoka thought. _How can I turn the tides?_

The Nohrian charged once more, she feigned a downward slash before quickly reversing the direction of her axe to hit Hinoka on her cheek.

Thrown off balance by the odd maneuver, Hinoka lost altitude and the battle paused as both combatants sized up the other.

The blue haired girl made the first move. She charged and yelled, "Finishing the mission!"

Hinoka whirled her lance, deflecting the blow and hitting her adversary with the butt of her lance. Pushing her advantage, Hinoka attacked once more. Aiming her lance at the wyvern, Hinoka attacked but found her lance simply bounced off the dragon's tough scales.

"Oh crap..." Hinoka said as the wyvern rider quickly recovered and prepared to deliver a finishing blow. Just before the axe could strike, an arrow came shooting up from the ground and struck the enemy wyvern in the wing, causing it to fall to the ground below.

"Be careful up there!" Takumi yelled, revealing himself as the one who had shot down the wyvern.

"Thanks bro! It won't happen again." Hinoka replied briefly before flying to engage a purple haired Malig Knight who seemed to be commanding the air forces.

Takumi likewise returned to the battle in front of him. While his sister had been busy fighting the wyvern rider, Takumi had been in a heated battle against an enemy mage. Both of them had been launching attacks from across the battlefield but neither had landed a successful hit.

"Radiant Dawn!" The mage yelled as another Thunder spell raced across the battlefield.

"Shut up!" Takumi yelled as he countered with another arrow from the Fujin Yumi. The wily mage had been dodging his attacks and yelling crazy attack names since the beginning of the battle and it was starting to get on the Hoshidian's nerves. Intent on finishing the battle quickly, Takumi notched a few arrows and launched them all in quick succession.

"You'll have to do better than that to defeat the mighty Odin Dark!" The mage yelled as he dodged the attacks and began to charge at the archer.

"You haven't seen half of what I can do." Takumi countered as he continued to notch arrows.

Odin launched a couple of spells to block Takumi's attacks at first but the need slowly decreased as the distance closed between the two.

 _Crap! He knows archers have trouble aiming at close range._ Takumi thought as he continued to back up and began to launch arrows more frantically.

The blond haired mage began to gather energy for his next attack as he closed the final few feet.

"Eldritch Smack-"

Landing a lucky shot, Takumi hit Odin in the shoulder sending him flying. His magic dissipated, Odin struggled back to his knees, his face showing a mix of fear and excitement.

"Die now you Nohrian Scum!" The Hoshidian Prince yelled as he loosed another arrow at point blank range.

The arrow flew straight at the dark mage's head but never reached its target. Instead it lodged itself into a tree which had mysteriously appeared from the ground.

"What!?"

"Get out of here Odin." A Dark Knight commanded. "I'll take care of this pest."

"Of course milord!" Odin replied before running to the rear of the column to be healed.

"You think you can handle me?" Takumi taunted, confident after his victory against Odin.

"Not only will I handle you, I will _erase_ you." The Dark Knight replied before launching a spell at the Hoshidian prince.

Catching a glimpse of his brother out of the corner of his eye, Ryoma continued to charge into the thick of battle. Displaying a surprising amount of acrobatic skill, the red-clad prince jumped over the heads of a few Nohrian mercenaries before landing and deftly cutting them down with a few strokes of the Raijinto. Spotting a commander standing atop a nearby hill, the swordmaster yelled, "Nohrian commander! I am Ryoma the crown prince of Hoshido. I challenge you to single combat!"

The Nohrian Paladin smirked slightly before giving his reply. "Very well. But I am no mere commander, I am Xander the crown prince of Nohr!"

Spurring his horse forward, Xander unsheathed the Siegfried and charged toward his opponent, slashing at any Hoshidian soldier who came near. A few feet away from Ryoma, Xander spurred his horse into the air and Siegfried met with Raijinto in a flash of purple and gold lightning.

As the battle continued, the princes matched each other move for move. Although Xander had superior mobility and defense, Ryoma could launch a greater diversity of attacks from the ground to keep his foe off balance. The continuing clash between these two legendary weapons could be felt throughout the battlefield through the crashing of their lightning and the clanging of their steel.

It was these sounds that met Corrin's ears as soon as he set foot on the battlefield.

 _I have to find Ryoma and the others so I can help them defend the capital._ The Prince thought before carefully surveying the battlefield for his siblings. It took a couple of moments, but he eventually spotted Sakura at the rear of the Hoshidian battle line.

"Sakura! What's happening? Do we know how this army got here?"

"Big Brother!" Sakura exclaimed as she finished healing a red-haired Sky Knight and his steed. "We still don't know... The others charged into battle awhile ago. I-I've simply been healing people back here."

"And you've been doing a fine job." Yukimura cut in, as he approached. "Welcome to the battlefield Prince Corrin. I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances but I am the chief tactician of Hoshido, Yukimura."

"I'm sorry too." Corrin replied. "Do you know where Ryoma and the others are?"

"I believe I've seen lightning from the Raijinto coming from that direction." The tactician stated as he pointed toward the battle. "Good luck getting there though, Lord Ryoma is always where the battle is thickest. It will be nearly impossible to reach him."

"Watch me." Corrin replied with a determined expression. Tightening the grip on his katana, Corrin rushed into the battle. Running into the thickest part of the battle, Corrin caught a Nohrian mercenary by surprise from his katana. A swift slash was all it took to slay the Nohrian before Corrin continued forward.

 _No time to think about Nohrian casualties. I have to protect the capital!_ Continuing forward, the young prince deflected the lance of an oncoming cavalier before running headfirst into the heavy shield of a knight.

"Stand down. I don't want to hurt you." The knight said, his friendly attitude starkly contrasting with his intimidating face.

"I can't do that." Corrin replied defiantly as a female fighter moved to block his exit. _I was hoping I wouldn't have to use it so soon but looks like I have no choice._ Eyeing his foes wearily, Corrin slid the katana into his belt and pulled out the Dragonstone. "Sorry about this. HAAAAA!"

In a flash of magic, the young prince transformed into a mighty dragon, startling everyone nearby.

"A dragon!? That's so not far." The fighter said before a swing of Corrin's tail knocked her unconscious.

"Char-" The knight began to yell before being knocked to the ground by the determined prince.

Rather than staying to finish off the knight and his companion, Corrin continued to march deeper into the battle. Swords and soldiers alike bounced off his scales as he pushed forward. _I'm almost there! One final push!_ As Corrin finally reached a clearing, he was surprised to see two familiar faces locked in combat.

"Ryoma? Xander?"

The red clad samurai was the first to return his brother's call. "Corrin!"

Unfamiliar with his brother's draconic form, it took Xander another couple of seconds to reply. "Corrin? Is that you?"

Ceasing the flow of magic to the Dragonstone, Corrin returned to his human form and ran over to his Nohrian sibling. "It is Xander. Call off your troops!"

"I can't do that little prince. They took you away from us and sullied the pride of Nohr. For that they must pay."

"You have no right to say that." Ryoma countered. "Corrin was taken away from his homeland by Nohr long ago. We did not take him away from you, we simply put things right!"

The stagnation of the princes' fight had spread to both armies. While they were both following their commander's lead of a ceasefire, battle-lines were tense.

"Ryoma! What's going on?" Hinoka asked, as she descended from the sky. "Why has the fighting stopped?"

"This is Corrin's sibling from Nohr."

"Xander isn't his only sibling here." Camilla descended, fresh from her battle with Hinoka. "They haven't hurt you have they darling?"

"W-We would never do that!" Sakura cried as she broke through the line to join her siblings. "Corrin is our brother."

"The only thing bothering him is the Nohrian scum on the doorstep of his capital." Takumi chimed in, making his presence known. "So why don't you all get lost!"

"Such a hothead." Leo chided as he joined his siblings. "Even after our little skirmish, you continue to let your emotions control you. We aren't leaving until we get what we came for."

"Yeah! We're here to get our brother back!" Elise said, completing the set of Nohrian royals.

"Camilla, Leo, Elise!" Corrin exclaimed as his Nohrian siblings revealed themselves. "How did you all make it to the Hoshidian capital so quickly?"

"As soon as we heard you had been captured, we gathered a small force and set out to rescue you." Xander explained. "I'm not sure how, but we were able to make it through Hoshido's barrier and set course straight for the capital."

"Father didn't exactly approve of our rescue mission but we'll deal with that later." Leo continued.

"Father's anger is nothing compared to how much we love you darling."

"You lie!" Ryoma yelled. "He is not your sibling! He is of Hoshidian blood and you kept that from him!"

 _They are telling the truth._ Corrin thought as his two families continued to argue. _Their intentions had to be pure to move through Mother's barrier, but there's so much they kept from me..._

"Xander!" Corrin yelled, silencing his siblings. "Did you know?"

"Did I know what?"

"Did you know the truth of my heritage?"

"Why would you ask that big brother? Xander would nev-"

"Elise!" Xander said, cutting off his little sister, "He deserves to know the truth." The Nohrian prince took a deep breath before continuing. "While Elise and the others were kept in the dark about the nature of your heritage, Father explained it to me shortly after you were brought to Nohr. To answer your question: Yes, I did know you were of Hoshidian birth but that has not stopped me from caring about you like a brother. The situation is more complex than you realize. Return to Nohr with us and Father will explain everything to you."

"Returning with you would be a death sentence!" Hinoka cried. "King Garon has already tried to kill Corrin here in Hoshido. Returning to Nohr would make it that much easier for him to finish the job."

"Is this true Corrin?"

"I-It is Xander." Corrin replied. "The sword Father gave me, the Ganglari, exploded during a festival the Hoshidians were throwing. I would have died if Mother hadn't..."

"She sacrificed herself to save our brother!" Takumi explained. "Now you must pay for what your country has done!"

"We'll protect you from Father." Camilla said, "Now please come home with us so we can be a family again Darling."

"Don't believe a word they say Brother!" Ryoma countered. "They've lied to you your entire life and they continue to do so now!"

"We have never lied to you willingly Corrin." Leo said, "We may have kept certain things hidden from you but I'm sure the Hoshidians have done the same. Otherwise this wouldn't even be a choice at all. The time has come to make a choice little Brother. Will you choose the bonds of blood or the bonds which have been forged throughout your entire childhood?"

Corrin fell silent as he realized he had to choose between Hoshido and Nohr. Siblings from both sides began to plead for Corrin to return with them, but their arguments fell on deaf ears as Corrin tried to make a decision.

 _How can I choose one over the other?_ _I know I'm Hoshidian by blood but Nohr raised and nurtured me like I was their own. I have so much history with Xander and the others but would returning with them make Mother's death be in vain?_

As the prince's mind continued to race and his families made their desperate pleas, his mind kept circling back to his memories of Nohr: Practicing swordplay with Xander, learning the basics of magic with Leo and playing all sorts of games with Camilla and Elise. Years later, Corrin would declare it was these memories that swayed his decision. Reluctantly, Corrin walked slowly over to Xander's side and drew his katana.

"Withdraw your troops Ryoma!"

"Brother! What are you saying?"

"I cannot abandon the only home I have ever know. I'm sorry Ryoma but I'm returning to Nohr."

"You're really going to go back with the people who tried to kill you? Who killed your Mother?" Hinoka added, trying to change her brother's mind.

"These people didn't try to kill me." Corrin replied, gesturing to his Nohrian siblings. "They came to Hoshido to rescue me."

"You would turn your back on your true family, your own blood, for this Nohrian filth!?" Takumi chimed in. Despite his earlier aggression toward Corrin, he seemed genuinely hurt by the betrayal.

"Together we have forged bonds stronger than blood and Father will soon see that."

"Well put little prince." Xander said with a smile. "Now our family is whole once again."

"We've waited too long for Corrin to come back to us. We won't let you take him!" Hinoka declared with a threatening twirl of her lance.

"Please Hinoka. This is my decision. Can't you accept that?"

"None of us will accept this!" Ryoma declared, drawing the Raijinto. "If you leave, Mother's death will truly have been in vain."

"Are you saying you won't let your own brother follow his heart? I thought Hoshido was supposed to be better than that." Camilla replied with a smirk.

"Don't twist our words you wench!" Ryoma growled. "We simply want our brother back."

"And Corrin has made his choice." Leo said confidently. "He has chosen us over you."

"Yeah! He's our brother now." Elise chimed in.

"H-He would never do that!" Sakura tried to counter weakly.

"Enough!" Takumi yelled, drawing the Fujin Yumi and notching an arrow. "If you won't hand him over, we'll simply take Corrin back by force."

"Takumi no!" Corrin cried but it was already too late. Takumi released his arrow and the battle resumed with even greater ferocity than before. Lightning flew through the air as Siegfried and Raijinto clashed once more, trees sprouted from thin air as Leo blocked incoming arrows from the Fujin Yumi and Camilla and Hinoka were slowly gaining altitude as their steeds fought tooth and nail. A young samurai clad in pink charged directly at Corrin with katana raised. Corrin raised his own to block but was not prepared for the berating the girl had for him.

"How could you choose them over Hoshido!? Your kidnapping broke Lady Sakura's heart and it took her years to finally recover. How do you think she'll feel now that her brother has rejected her of his own free will."

"I-"

Corrin's blade wavered as he thought of Sakura crying for his sake, creating an opening for his opponent. She kicked him in the stomach and launched a quick follow up strike toward Corrin's left side. While the attack did leave a nasty dent in the Prince's armor, he was otherwise unharmed.

"I cannot forgive someone who would so blatantly harm Lady Sakura. You're coming back with me whether its dead or alive." The samurai readied her sword once again and charged.

The killing intent emanating off his opponent sharpened Corrin's mind and resolve. He easily blocked the girl's piercing attack toward his midsection with a sweep of his sword and countered by driving his knee into her stomach.

"I am truly sorry for what Sakura had to go through but I simply cannot abandon the only family I've ever known."

"They'll... never trust you..." The girl replied, winded from Corrin's attack. "King Garon will kill you on the spot."

"Just like you're trying to do?"

"RRAAHHH!"

Enraged at the comparison between herself and King Garon the samurai charged once again, swinging her sword in a wild and deadly dance. Corrin tried to pary each blow but a few were swift enough to break through his guard, leaving a couple cuts in his armor and releasing a small amount of blood.

The samurai paused for a split second before going in for the kill: A slash aimed directly at the Prince's neck. That pause gave Corrin plenty of time to twist his body below the strike and hit his Hoshidian opponent in the back of the head with the butt of his katana, knocking her out cold.

"Hana!" Sakura yelled as her retainer hit the ground.

"Kagero get her out of here! Saizo retrieve Corrin!" Ryoma ordered as he parried another blow from Xander.

Skurikens flew at the Nohrian prince from nowhere and two shadows materialized from the heat of battle. One shadow, revealing itself to be a well-endowed female ninja, grabbed the defeated samurai and disappeared back into the battle. The second shadow revealed itself to be a menacing looking ninja with a nasty looking scar over one of his eyes.

"I'm afraid you're going to be coming with me." Saizo growled as he held a dagger at the ready.

"I don't think so." Corrin replied with a twirl of his sword.

"Then I guess we'll be doing this the hard way." Saizo smirked before throwing a small explosive at Corrin's feet which released a plume of smoke.

His vision obscured by smoke, Corrin was defenseless as Saizo launched a barrage of attacks. Each one was placed deliberately to be nonlethal but extremely painful.

"That's enough!" Drawing some magic into his sword arm, Corrin transformed it into it's draconic form and used it's strength to blow away the smoke in a single stroke.

The display of strength caught Saizo just as he was preparing to strike, forcing the ninja to quickly backstep and regroup.

"Pretty impressive. But that's not nearly enough. You deserve worse for abandoning your family."

Not bothering with another smokescreen, Saizo threw a couple shurikens and charged once more.

Now that his target was visible, Corrin was able to counter. He easily knocked the incoming shurikens out of the air and raised his sword just quick enough to parry Saizo's next attack.

"I... didn't abandon them!" Corrin said, enduring the pain from Saizo's previous attacks and bracing against the current one. "I didn't want to anyway. Nohr shaped me into who I am today. How can I sacrifice that? How could by birth family _ask_ me to do that?"

Angered by the Nohrian prince's answer, Saizo backed away and threw some of his specialty explosives which exploded as Corrin tried to swat them away.

"One is supposed to make sacrifices for their family!" The ninja yelled over the wall of fire that separated him from his target. "Its how you show your devotion to them!"

"Not on this scale!" Corrin countered as he slowly pulled himself off the ground. "Not when it involves war or killing!"

"That is exactly when they need to be made." The ninja replied knowingly. Seeing his opponent beaten and barely standing, Saizo pulled out his dagger once again and leapt through the flames to deal the finishing blow. However, rather than hitting his target, Saizo's dagger was met with the axe of a Nohrian princess.

"You've been naughty." Camilla said before unleashing a savage blow which sent her opponent flying backwards before he crashed to the ground.

"They're too strong! Fall back to the castle!" Ryoma yelled.

While Corrin had been struggling against the Hoshidian retainers, his Nohrian siblings had flourished against the opposing royal family. The calm-minded Leo had made short work of the hot-headed Takumi and although it had taken her slightly longer to catch her prey in the air, Camilla easily defeated Hinoka.

As the Hoshidian army gathered its wounded commanders and fled, Corrin's family gathered to his side.

"You fought well today little prince." Xander said both his armor and horse riddled with cuts and blood.

"You look like hell warmed over, but you survived. Good job brother." Leo added.

"Yeah! Now let's finish off those nasty Hoshidians once and for all!" Elise said with her usual cheer.

"Not today Darling." Camilla replied.

"Why not? We've got them on the ropes!"

"Our forces are too tired to make another push." Xander explained. "The Hoshidians are tired as well but they'll have a slew of reinforcements to throw at us. It would be impossible for us to take the capital in this condition."

"Even if we could take the capital we're too far away from the Nohrian supply lines to keep it." Leo added.

"Exactly. Now let us return home. Father will be pleased to know our family is whole again." Xander said, leading the army back toward the border.

As everyone left, Corrin lingered on the edge of the battlefield for a few moments.

 _Goodbye Hoshido. Hopefully when I next return, it can be in peace._

With those parting thoughts, Corrin turned away and began the trip back to Nohr, the Dragonstone and Katana his only mementos of his homeland.

 **AN: Long time no see everyone! Sorry for the wait but school and life commitments were crazy the past few months. Hopefully it was worth the wait! We've now finished the prologue and can officially begin the story of Conquest. Even though there weren't a lot of changes this chapter, some big ones are coming on the horizon. I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be out but I'll keep writing whenever possible. Now onto the changes:**

 **1) Mini-fights between the royals and certain retainers. It doesn't really have a lot of plot relevance but showcases the bonds of the Hoshidian royal family before you're forced to choose a side and gave me an opportunity to try writing a few characters (Odin was a blast!). If you think a character appeared this chapter but aren't sure, odds are you are correct. I tried to include as many possible. If any seemed out of character, let me know.**

 **2) Corrin fights retainers rather than his Hoshidian siblings. While it is emotional that Corrin would have to fight his siblings, he wouldn't stand a chance. Ryoma is too strong, Takumi has the Fujin Yumi and Hinoka has the advantage of flight. Instead, Corrin fights Hoshidian retainers who give a terrible first impression of their homeland. Don't get me wrong, I like Saizo and Hana was the whole reason I got Birthright but Saizo is a jerk to everyone (for good reasons) and Hana hates Corrin for things he had no control over. It gives a glimpse at a couple more characters while solidifying Corrin's choice for Nohr.**

 **Feel free to leave a review with your thoughts! See you next time!**


	7. Chapter 7: A King's Command

Tired from battle, it was a long journey back to Nohr. While Corrin was happy to be reunited with his family, his decision to leave Hoshido continued to weigh on him. Camilla and Elise stayed at the young prince's side for nearly the entire journey trying to cheer him up, but with little effect. What Corrin really wanted was confirmation that he had made the right decision. Every day, Corrin would ask Xander about his decision and what Father would think. Rather than giving his brother a straight answer, Xander would merely affirm his brother's decision and state that 'Father would explain everything' once they returned to the castle. Days seemed to stretch into weeks but eventually, the small army reached Castle Krakenburg. Just like their first visit to the capital, the first stop for the royals was the stables to drop off the horses before meeting the King. As the Nohrian royals dismounted, a lone figure began rushing toward them at a breakneck speed.

"I-Is that... Felicia!?"

"Master!" The Maid cried as she tackled Corrin and buried her face in his chest.

"W-What are you doing here Felicia?"

As Felicia slowly removed her face from her master's chest revealing tears welled up her in eyes.

"I-I was so worried about you and everyone here has been so mean to me! ItriedmakingteafortheKingandthenIspilleditand-"

"Calm down! I can't make out a word you're saying."

I took a few moments for Felicia to sufficiently calm herself before she began her story again.

"After you were captured by the Hoshidians, I was sent here to serve King Garon himself."

"Uh-Oh." Corrin said, having an idea of what was to come next.

"I tried making tea for the King but ended up spilling it on his lap in the middle of his meeting with the nobles. Later I tried doing some of the laundry and got yelled at for turning some of the King's capes white. I've messed up so many times that they just had me patrolling the castle halls. When I heard you were finally returning, I had to come down and meet you."

"Everything is fine Felicia. I'm home to stay now and my first act as a true Nohrian Prince is to appoint you as my personal retainer. Will you accept?"

Tears welled up in the maid's eyes once again as she brought her master in for a back-breaking hug. "Of course I accept! You're the only person who will give me a chance!"

"I might not... be able to give you that chance... if you keep me in this hug any longer." Corrin said, struggling to get the words out.

"S-Sorry!" The newly appointed retainer said, promptly releasing her master from the hug. After a moment of awkward silence the reunited pair began to laugh, simply happy to be back with their childhood friend.

"Aren't they getting friendly?" Camilla said with a smile as Corrin continued to catch up on his retainer's exploits in the capital.

Elise gave a little pout and replied, "We weren't able to get him to laugh like that..."

"He's probably just happy to be back in a familiar environment." Leo tried to explain, "It was probably hard for Corrin to take his mind off things on the road. Now that we're back in Nohr and he's been greeted with the usual antics of his retainer, our brother can finally take his mind off Hoshido."

"Why Leo, if I didn't know any better it would seem like you were trying to cheer up Elise." Camilla replied.

"I-Is it so wrong of me to try and cheer up my sister?" The Nohrian Prince replied, getting a little flustered.

"There's nothing wrong at all with that." Xander cut in. "I think its time we reported to the throne room. Corrin!"

"Yes Xander?" Corrin said, breaking off his conversation with Felicia.

"It's time to see Father. Bring your retainer for his approval!"

"Of course." The youngest prince replied with a determined look on his face. _It's time to get some answers._

Just as they had a short time ago, Corrin and his siblings walked to King Garon's throne room and knelt before the monarch before Xander spoke.

"We have returned Father and we bring good news. Corrin has returned to us."

At the mention of his name, Corrin looked up at the man he had been calling Father and said, "Yes, I have returned home."

This only caused Garon's usual frown to turn into a scowl. "Why have you returned to us boy!? Surely the Hoshidians have filled your head with all manner of lies concerning your birth."

"The Hoshidians did tell me of my true heritage, the fact that I am Hoshidian by birth, but I could not bring myself to turn against my siblings." Corrin replied with conviction. "Nohr has molded me into the person I am today, so I will fight to mold a bright future for our nation."

"Such sweet lies." Garon said, "What proof do I have that your words are true? If you truly believe the Hoshidians, I am to blame for the death of your true father. How do I know that you have not come back to simply kill me?"

"Father! After locating Corrin in Hoshido, he defected almost immediately and commanded our army in a skillful defense against the royal family." Xander said, stretching the truth slightly. "He has proven himself worthy Father. It is time he learns the truth of his heritage."

"I'm confused. Didn't Corrin already learn about his heritage back in Hoshido?" Elise whispered.

"There's more to the story than that sweetie." Camilla whispered back.

"Please Father! All I want is the truth!" Corrin pleaded.

Garon thought for a moment before nodding his head in approval. "I suppose if you are to fight for Nohr, it would be best to set your allegiance straight. Tell me exactly what the Hoshidian royal family has said to you regarding your birth."

"O-Ok. They said that the former King of Hoshido, King Sumeragi was my father and that Queen Mikoto was my mother. When I was still a baby, King Sumeragi took me to a peace converence in Cheve. Once there, you orchestrated Sumeragi's death and took me back to Nohr."

"What!? You mean Master Corrin isn't a Prince of Nohr!" Felicia exclaimed quietly.

"That's only one side of the story." Leo answered.

"Is that all?" Garon replied as Corrin finished the Hoshidian narrative.

"Yes Father."

"Very well." Sitting up straighter in his chair, the King continued. "To begin, let me tell you that Queen Mikoto was in fact your mother."

"So I am a Prince of Hoshido?"

"Not quite. While it can be confirmed that Queen Mikoto is your mother. It cannot be proven that King Sumeragi is your father."

"I'm not sure I follow." Corrin said. "I am from Hoshido, but I'm not a Prince?"

"All your questions will be answered. Simply give me a chance to explain." There was a long pause before Garon let out a sigh and continued. "I am a weak man Corrin."

"W-What do you mean Father?" Corrin asked, taken aback by the King's first use of his actual name.

"I have fathered many children, but now only you five remain."

"I used to have other siblings? What happened to them?"

"The Concubine Wars." Camilla said, turning all the heads in the room. "After the death of Xander's mother, Queen Katerina, Father took a number of lovers, many of whom had children. As the children grew, their mothers used them to try and carry favor with Father. Over time, things grew violent and the children were used as weapons of war against one another."

"These wars were just beginning to end around the time Elise was born, but Father still kept one or two women around." Leo added.

"Was Queen Mikoto one of these women?"

"Correct." Garon replied gruffly. "She was one of my lovers near the end of that... thing. We grew very close and I even began taking her with me to various diplomatic functions. That was my mistake." He scowled before continuing. "Mikoto fell in love with that damn Hoshidian the first time she laid eyes on him. I tried to convince her to stay but she soon fled the country and into the arms of Sumeragi. Nine months later, I received word that Mikoto was now married to Sumeragi and she had given birth to a child."

"Nine months... Are you saying-"

"I am saying exactly that. While Queen Mikoto is most certainly your mother, it cannot be said for certain if I or Sumeragi are your father."

"That explains why you've raised me for all these years, but it doesn't explain the kidnapping in Cheve."

"She wouldn't let me near you." Garon explained. "Mikoto was convinced that Sumeragi was your father and she didn't think the Nohrian court was safe for a child."

"Because of the Concubine Wars?"

"Exactly. She left me no other choice. It was either kidnap you or concede you to Hoshido for life. You know which I chose."

"I'm confused." Elise chimed in. "Why is this the first time we're hearing about this?"

"This was kept on a very need-to-know basis." Xander answered. "The only reason Camilla, Leo, and I know is because we were old enough to remember Corrin coming to Nohr."

"That wasn't fair! You should have told me! I can keep a secret!"

"Like how you kept your adventures into the city a secret?" Leo quipped.

"That wasn't my fault and you know it!"

"What about the Ganglari Father?" Corrin asked, stopping his siblings from arguing further. "It exploded while I was in Hoshido and it killed Moth- Mikoto."

"What about the sword?"

"I need to know. Did you know the sword would do that? Did you kill Mother!?" Corrin's voice grew louder as each question was asked.

Angered, Garon rose out of the throne. "Don't raise your voice to me boy! I may be your Father but I am also your King! You will respect that!"

"Despite your misgivings about her, she was my Mother!" Corrin countered, raising his voice even further. "I need to know if you played a part in her death!"

"I did what I had to do!" Garon yelled back, sending the room into an awkward silence.

"H-How? How could you do that to Mother?" Corrin asked quietly, broken up at learning the truth.

"She sullied the honor of Nohr and had to pay the price. I knew that by sending you out into the world She would try to take you back. I didn't expect it to happen so soon but that was the true purpose of Ganglari: To kill Mikoto."

"Didn't you say the sword exploded?" Xander asked before turning to Garon. "Corrin could have been killed as well."

"Which makes his return to us all the more surprising." The Nohrian King said, circling back to the original issue. "So now you know the truth. The full truth. Do you still wish to have a seat in the court?"

Corrin thought long and hard about what he had just learned and the position his Father had offered him. _If I accept, I can finally be a part of the royal court like Xander and Leo. I can finally achieve the dream I've had since I've been a little child! But can I truly work for the man who killed my Mother?_

"What are you waiting for boy?!" Garon yelled. "I believe this is what you wanted or has Mikoto poisoned your mind as well?"

 _Was that a threat?_ Corrin thought as he tried to make his decision. _It doesn't seem like Father is giving me much of a choice in this matter._

"Well boy? What is your decision?"

"I..." Corrin began "I still do wish to have a seat on the Nohrian royal court." _I'm sorry Mother..._ He added in his mind.

"Then you must prove your worth to me once again. There is a rebellion brewing in the ice tribe. I want you to put an end to it."

"Wh-What!? The ice tribe is rebelling!?" Completely forgetting her etiquette, Felicia jumped up at the mention of her native tribe in rebellion.

"I forgot you were from there..." Garon grumbled. "This will serve as a test of your loyalty as well. You will lead Corrin to the ice tribe and assist him in quelling this uprising."

"O-Of course your majesty." The maid replied nervously.

"You are both dismissed." The King said, gesturing toward Corrin and Felicia. "I have assignments for the rest of you."

As soon as they were out of the throne room, Corrin pulled Felicia to the side.

"Are you sure about this Felicia? You don't have to do this."

"I-I'll be fine. The King probably wants to test my loyalty too." Felicia replied. "I'll do whatever I need to help you succeed."

"Thank you. I couldn't ask for a better maid than you."

Felicia's blush went unnoticed as the remainder of the royal family exited the throne room.

"What kind of assignments did Father give you?" Corrin asked.

Xander was the first to answer. "I am to harass the Hoshidian border and test their strength."

"There's a nasty little rebellion in the Earth Tribe so I'm going there to bring them back in line." Camilla said.

"Elise and I are going to Nestra and Mokushu to try and secure allies against Hoshido." Leo replied. "Each of these tasks may seem important on the surface, but Father could have easily sent other nobles or generals to handle these."

"It's almost as though Father is trying to keep us away from Corrin..." Xander pondered.

"That won't make a difference." Corrin replied with a determined look. "I'll complete this mission and come back alive."

"I have no doubt you will. Good luck little prince." Xander replied as Corrin and Felicia rushed off.

"We'd best be heading off as well." Leo said. "Let's go Elise."

"Ok..." Elise replied with a little pout as she turned to follow her brother.

After a short stop at the castle armory to pick up an Iron Dagger and Heal staff for Felicia, the two set off on their journey to the Ice Tribe. Travel was slow on foot but the two Nohrians knew they were getting close to their destination when they entered the Woods of the Forlorn.

"What is this place?" Corrin asked as the two walked through the forest. "The air feels really heavy here."

"It's called the Woods of the Forlorn." Felicia explained. "And the air probably feels heavy because of the magical energy in the area."

"Why would magic coalesce here? I've never heard of such a phenomenon."

"According to Flora, quite a few magical leylines intersect here making it easy for energy to overflow and enter the air."

"That's interesting. Though with a name like the Woods of the Forlorn, I was expecting something more like 'Years ago a group of children wandered into the forest and never returned. It's said that their spirits still reside in the area to torment travelers from making the same mistake'"

"Y-You don't think something like that actually happened here do you?" Felicia asked a little frightened.

"Of course not Felicia. Don't be silly. There definitely aren't any ghosts haunting this forest."

"AHHHH!"

The conversation between master and retainer was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream.

"Y-You were right Master!" Felicia exclaimed, suddenly holding onto Corrin's arm tightly. "The forest really is haunted!"

"There has to be an explanation for this Felicia. Let's check it out!"

Very carefully, Corrin half lead/half dragged Felicia in the direction of the scream. As the two drew closer to the source, a familiar sound reached their ears.

"That sounds like a battle!" Corrin exclaimed, suddenly picking up the pace.

Rushing forward, Corrin continued until he came across a small clearing where a lone silver-haired cavalier was fighting against a horde of Faceless.

"We have to help him!" The Nohrian Prince yelled as he pulled out his katana and rushed into battle.

"W-Wait for me!" Felicia called as she pulled out her dagger and followed her master into battle.

Corrin rushed into the fray and cleanly cut the head off the Faceless nearest the cavalier.

"Are you alright?" Corrin asked, sparing a couple of moments to ensure his fellow combatant could continue the fight.

The cavalier's eyes widened slightly in recognition before responding. "Yeah I can keep fighting."

"Great! Then follow my lead." Corrin replied before jumping back into the battle, where Felicia had been holding a few Faceless at bay with her daggers and ice magic.

Similar to his battle against the Faceless in Hoshido, the lumbering creatures were easy to battle but the sheer number of Faceless slowly began the Nohrian Prince and his retainer.

"Master there are too many of them!" Felicia called as she deflected a fist with her dagger.

"You might be right..." Corrin admitted as he pulled his sword out of yet another foe. "The two of us might not be enough."

"Would three be enough?"

Charging in from behind, the silver-haired cavalier pulled out a sword and swiftly defeated a Faceless that had drifted a bit too close for comfort.

"Thanks for the assist..."

"Silas." The cavalier replied, introducing himself. "We can't let the Faceless box us in. We should try to find a more defensible position."

"Scout ahead for us." Corrin ordered. "Felicia and I will cover you."

Charging back into battle, Silas drew his sword once again and slashed at any Faceless that dared come close while Corrin and Felicia followed close behind to deliver the finishing blow. The trio eventually ended up in a small thicket of vines, which provided some cover against the constant flow of enemies.

"They... just keep coming." Corrin said as yet another Faceless fell to his katana. "I don't know how much longer we can hold out here."

A gentle green glow surrounded Corrin as Felicia activated her Heal staff. "Not to worry you Master but my staff is getting close to breaking. If I can't heal you and Silas..."

 _Then we're done for._ Corrin thought, finishing what Felicia left unsaid.

"We'll hold out as long as we have to." Silas declared defiantly as he defended their flank. "We're making it out of this alive."

 _I certainly hope so but things aren't looking good._ Corrin thought as he began to assess the situation. _I might be able to do more damage if I used the Dragonstone but these monsters haven't given me an opportunity to use it._

"Master! Something's happening! Someone else joined the battle! And it looks like... a Faceless?"

Just as Felicia had described, another party had joined the fray against the Faceless. One was a female knight clad in pink armor who was impaling enemies on her lance without breaking a sweat. The other person appeared to be a Faceless wielding an axe. The only things differentiating him from his enemies were specks of blonde hair and bombastic shouts of justice.

"It doesn't matter who they are right now. They're fighting these things too and that's all that matters." The Prince declared as he pulled out his Dragonstone. "We can ask any other questions after the battle."

In a brilliant flash of magic Corrin transformed into his dragon state and rushed into battle. With the combination of his new allies and the raw destructive power of his dragon state, the remaining Faceless stood no chance of surviving.

With the Nohrian prince taking on the majority of enemies, Silas and Felicia were finally able to meet up with their new enigmatic allies.

"Whew... What a workout." The pink clad knight said as she wiped a line of sweat from her brow.

"Thanks for the assist out there." Silas said as he rode in from battle.

"Always glad to help fellow allies of justice!" The axe wielding man replied.

"C-Could you explain why you're fighting alongside a Faceless?" Felicia asked nervously.

"Arthur isn't a Faceless." The knight replied. "He's just covered in swamp water and vines."

"Sadly, Effie speaks the truth." Arthur said as he began to remove a few vines from his person. "As we were traveling here our map was stolen by a wandering bird. Our backup map was then blown out of my hands and into the swamp. When I went out to retrieve the map, I was assaulted by a swarm of bees who led me into some vines, resulting in my present appearance."

"That's a relief." The maid said. "But why did you follow us into the Woods od the Forlorn?"

"We were ordered to aid you by Lady Elise." Effie replied.

"Speaking of which, where is our dear Lady Elise? Was she not with us when we entered the woods?"

"RAGHHH!"

The group's discussion was cut off by a loud roar as Corrin defeated the last of the Faceless and turned his attention toward them.

"Umm guys? Why isn't he turning back?" Felicia asked nervously as the dragon charged straight at them.

"Stand back!" Effie cried as she pushed Felicia out of the way and blocked the charging dragon on her shield.

"He must have lost control of his dragon form because of the leylines." Silas deduced. "We have to try and snap him out of it."

"Never fear citizen!" Arthur cried, pulling out his axe and striking a heroic pose. "We'll bring your friend back from the darkness and regain our ally of justice!"

"That's great and all but would you mind giving me a hand here?" Effie asked as she blocked Corrin's claw with her shield.

"R-Right. Sorry." Arthur replied slightly embarrassed before entering the fight. "Take this villian!" The fighter swung his axe without fear at the might dragon, taking the pressure off his fellow retainer.

Corrin moved to block the strike with his arm but was thrown off balance as Effie slammed her shield into the dragon's side, allowing the strike to land on his face. Angered at the attack, Corrin swung his tail like a whip to push the pink-clad Knight away so that he could block another axe strike from Arthur.

"They're fighting him evenly!" Felicia exclaimed in awe as the battle continued in front of them. "How is that even possible?"

"That is the power of royal retainers at work." Silas said. "Only the best of the best get considered for that kind of position and it's clear that these two have fought quite a few battles together."

CLANG!

Silas' commentary was interrupted as Effie's shield fell violently to the ground in front of them. Corrin had landed a powerful strike that got behind the Knight's shield and threw it from her hands. Unfazed by the loss of her shield, Effie tighten the grip on her lance and charged back into the battle. Unfortunately, without the shield to cover her lance movements, Effie's attack was easy to read. Corrin raised himself up on his hind legs before bringing his claws down on the lance, breaking it in two.

"Effie!" Arthur cried as he rushed at Corrin's back only to be met with the mighty dragon's hind legs squarely in his stomach. He was knocked back a few feet before collapsing to the ground unconscious.

Seeing how well the move worked before, Corrin let out another mighty roar and raised himself back up on his hind legs to bring his claws straight down onto Effie. What he wasn't expected was the Knight to catch his claws in her hands and hold them at bay with brute strength.

"This isn't good..." Silas said as he put a hand on his sword. "I don't think she can hold out for very long."

Nearby, Felicia was kneeling on the ground beginning to heal Arthur's injuries. "And we're all out of Heal staves." The maid replied. "I used my last charge to heal Arthur's wounds."

"GRRR." Effie grunted as she tried to call on every ounce of her strength. Sadly the mythical beast was simply too strong and slowly began to gain the advantage.

"Effie! Arthur! Where are you?"

Out of the woods rode the youngest Nohrian princess, bubbling with cheer and nearly oblivious to the battle taking place in front of her.

"Lady Elise! Stay back!" Effie said as Corrin pushed her back even further.

"Wow! You and big brother Corrin are already wrestling? I knew you'd become great friends."

"They aren't wrestling milady." Silas interjected. "Corrin-"

"But it looks like you're hurt Effie." Elise continued, cutting off the young cavalier. "I think it's time you two ended your match."

"RAGGHHH!"

"This isn't a wrestling match Elise!" Effie cried, dropping the formality to try and reason with her friend. "Corrin has lost control!"

"Big brother wouldn't do that." Elise said before turning to her brother. "He would never allow some nasty dragon to take over his head."

Elise's words seemed to be slowly calming the dragon, who had let up his pressure on Effie.

"Effie and Big Brother are simply wrestling and I have to ask him to stop. Will you stop Big Brother?"

"RAGHHHHH!"

With one final roar, Corrin returned to normal and collapsed on the forest floor.

"T-Thank you Elise." Corrin said as he started to catch his breath. "That was exactly what I needed to hear."

"I'm always here to help!" Elise said as she pulled her brother in for a big hug.

"But what are you doing here? I thought you were going with Leo on a diplomatic mission."

"Leo said he could handle it himself and sent me to watch over you. I grabbed Arthur and Effie and came to join you as fast as I could but we got separated along the way."

"And we certainly weren't expecting to run into Faceless when we found you." Arthur continued. "Why were there so many of those foul beasts in this forest anyway?"

"There's a research facility here in the forest." Silas answered. "Sorcerers from across the country are employed here by Iago to perfect new spells including-"

"How to summon Faceless." Corrin finishes. "But why are you here? You aren't a mage."

"Summoning Faceless is an exhausting task. It leaves the summoner drained and defenseless every time the spell is cast. I was employed there as a guard to protect the mages from being attacked but they summoned a few too many this time and I failed..."

"There was nothing you could have done." The Nohrian prince replied, placing a hand on the cavalier's shoulder. "There was no possible way a single person could defeat that many Faceless."

"I hope Iago sees it that way..." Silas said nervously. "Since the facility is in ruins now, perhaps I could join your company. Helping you with your mission might help redeem my failure in Iago's eyes."

"We're happy to have you." Corrin said before turning toward the rest of his budding army. "Let's go everyone! We have a rebellion to stop!"

 **AN: Hello everyone! We aren't dead yet! Sorry about the long wait but I've had school and then a new job. It was hard to find time to write but I finally was able to finish the first true chapter of Conquest (i.e. post route split). Hopefully you all enjoyed, leave a review if you did, and hopefully it won't be another 8 months before I finish the next chapter! Now onto the changes:**

 **1: Corrin's heritage: I know I'm not rewriting Birthright here but I wanted to change Corrin's heritage so that it would fit either route. Mikoto being close to Garon and falling in love with Sumeragi at the end of the Concubine Wars leaves Corrin's lineage clouded just enough to support either route. As an added bonus, it also helped to give Garon a humanizing moment and a reason to hate Hoshido so much (Hopefully Garon's text in that part doesn't seem out of character. It is really hard to write him when he isn't being stereotypically evil).**

 **2: The Ice Tribe mission: Let's be honest. In the canon, there is no possible way Corrin could have stopped the Ice tribe rebellion on his own. Garon realizes this and allows Corrin to take Felicia to prove her loyalty as well. This change doesn't really affect much but makes it easier to add characters into the story.**

 **3: The Woods of the Forlorn: We don't really learn much about these woods in the games other than they are dark, spooky and Faceless live in them. I thought I'd try my hand at giving it a bit of background to make it more interesting.**

 **4: Silas' entry to the battle: When I first played Conquest, I always thought it was weird that Elise would trust a random knight to travel with her off the claim that he knew Corrin as a child. Silas being stationed as a guard to Faceless summoning mages in the Woods already puts him on the scene and explains why there are Faceless there.**

 **5: Corrin goes berserk... again: I realize that this just occurred a few chapters ago but him losing control again shows that he hasn't mastered the Dragonstone yet (It also tied in well with the background I gave the Woods). The simple addition of the extra ambient magical energy offered by the Woods of the Forlorn was enough to make Corrin lose control again. I think it would have been a nice twist to the chapter to have a transformation meter (like in the Tellius games) for this chapter just to show the player Corrin's inexperience with his dragon form. While it did give Elise a moment to shine, I don't think I'll be having Corrin go berserk again anytime soon.**

 **Feel feel to let me know if there was a change I missed. If not, I'll see you next time!**

 **Orimorium**

 **Edit(9/8/18): Hello again everyone! I have read your reviews and answered your call. I have changed the Garon scene slightly to hopefully show Corrin's internal with siding with his mother's killer. I still don't think it's perfect but it's hopefully better than before.**


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